Shaun White, known as one of the best snowboarders of all time, smashed the Olympic halfpipe when he scored 46.8 in his first run at the finals. With moves like the double cork double grab front side 1080, it was difficult to see how anyone could better it. Whether he could better his own performance in the second run was questionable.
An Incredible Second Run
Although boarders such as Peetu Piiroinen of Finland and Scott Lago of the USA scored medal-winning performances, no one could knock White of the top stop. White went into his second run knowing he had already won gold, and so him and the team coaches seemed to contemplate whether the famous snowboarder should unveil the Double McTwist 1260. With nothing to lose, hopes were high. Word had spread before the games over the mention of this move, a move that White had created on his own private halfpipe course. The world of snowboarding stood still, hoping they were going to witness history in the making.
Sporting a bandana of the American stars, White took to the course, completing his signature moves, in particular two double corks of his own creation, and a huge front side 540 stale fish. Despite the brilliance of the four moves that were completed prior, the crowd only wanted to see the 1260. They held their breath when the 23-year-old snowboarder lined up to complete the double mctwist 1260. Amazingly, Shaun White carried out the move and even managed to land it well. This move, along with the amazing moves he had previously pulled off, rightfully earned Shaun an incredible score of 48.4. No one could deny that White deserved the gold medal. To create such a dangerous move and pull it off smoothly under such pressure has planted him in snowboarding history forever.
The Tomahawk
In an interview with the BBC after his win, White announced his decision to name the move the Tomahawk, after a steak he once had at a restaurant. White has certainly pushed snowboarding up another level with the invention of two of the most difficult moves known to halfpipe.
The Summer Olympic Games
With talk that skateboarding is going to hit the 2012 Olympic stage, lets hope that the snow and skate boarder will gain another gold but in another sport. White may join the very small group of Olympians that have ever won gold at both Olympics. His fellow competitors will do well to keep up with the star of extreme sports, 23 year old Shaun White from America.
Katie Jackson - Having finished my A Levels in Media, English and History, I went onto to University to study an Animal Management degree. However in ...
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