Shaun White’s Bumpy Ride Back to the Top

Shaun White celebrating after finishing his final run in the halfpipe final. He scored a 97.75 to win his third gold medal.CreditChang W. Lee/The New York TimesAfter a disappointing fourth place in the halfpipe at the 2014 Games, the world’s best snowboarder had to “put it down” for another Olympic gold medal.

Shaun White celebrating after finishing his final run in the halfpipe final. He scored a 97.75 to win his third gold medal.Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea — It was exactly noon, 12 o’clock high, when Shaun White stared down the halfpipe, looking again for the top of the world. He wondered if, to win a third gold medal at a Winter Olympics, he could do it on the…