Snowboard Halfpipe icon Shaun White has announced that the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics will be the last competition before his retirement. It was already clear that these would be his last Olympic Games, but news of his decision to retire is new.

White is 35, and this year’s olympics are his fifth. He won gold in halfpipe in 2008, 2010, and 2018, but has constantly been dealing with ankle, knee, and back issues. On top of that, White says other riders are starting to hit “heavier and heavier” tricks, adding to his decision to retire.

“I had to take this chair back up, which I was very annoyed with cause I just wanted to get home. And on that chairlift ride, it was like the mountain was closing, there was no one around, and I was watching, kind of like, the sun go down, and it just hit me. I was like, this is it. These are the sings. And it was like a very sad and surreal sort of moment, but then very, you know, joyous as well, cause I kind of reflected on all the things I’ve done, and looked at that sunset going down, and going ‘wow, well like, you know, next time I’m here I won’t be stressed about learning tricks, I won’t be worried about some pending competitions, some thing, I’ll just purely be here to enjoy the resort. Maybe check out other runs besides the halfpipe for once.” – Shaun White

The moment was clearly a sad one for him, and he said he broke down a bit while calling friends and family to inform them of his decision.

This is honestly such a sad moment for the sport, but I’m happy for him. I’m a skier, not a snowboarder, but whenever I think of snowboarding, I think of Shaun White, and whenever I think of the winter olympics, White is one of the first people I think of. I don’t think I’m alone in this sentiment. I would say he’s the image of U.S. snowboarding, from his early days as the “Flying Tomato” to his later golds, Shaun White is an icon. Hopefully we’ll see some pretty iconic final runs for the man when he competes in the halfpipe in Beijing.

Image & Video Credit: Shaun White on Instagram and NBC Sports on YouTube

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