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'Shauntastic' White soars to gold

(Agencies)
Updated: 2010-02-18 14:46

VANCOUVER - American Shaun White was in a league of his own defending his Olympic snowboarding halfpipe title on Wednesday, drawing gasps of astonishment with a gravity-defying new trick when he knew he had gold in the bag.

Gold medalist Shaun White of the United States celebrates in the finish area after his second run in the men's snowboarding halfpipe, on Cypress Mountain during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics February 17, 2010. [Photo/Agencies]

White, roared on by an ecstatic crowd hailing him as 'Shauntastic', had already recorded the highest score of the final on his first run, as he soared several storeys above the halfpipe and launched a sequence of high-flying twisting flip moves.

Even though he did not need to improve his score, White took to the halfpipe one last time and proved he deserved his new nickname 'Animal'.

On his final, victory descent White finished with his newly perfected Double McTwist 1260, a double backward flip with 2-1/2 revolutions ending in a blind landing, to earn the best score of the day of 48.4 points.

Signs held by fans in the crowd called him "Shauntastic" as White proved all the hype leading up to the Olympics was real, and that his personal halfpipe in the mountains of Colorado had helped him soar head and shoulders above his rivals.

White appeared to know he had won the gold medal even after his first run, ripping off his helmet, thrusting his board in the air and screaming before running over to hug members of the U.S. teams coaching staff.

"I just felt like I didn't come all the way to Vancouver not to pull out the big guns," the loquacious American said when asked why he decided to go for the new trick when he had already won.

"I put down the tricks I've worked so hard on," said White, who was pushed to perfect his newest move after losing out in a competition to compatriot Danny Davis.

Unlike the rest of the team, White had access to his own halfpipe -- a perk given to him by one of his sponsors which drew some grumbles from other American riders who were more accustomed to the friendly group atmosphere of training together.

Finn Peetu Piiroinen won the silver medal, 3.4 points behind White and Scott Lago of the United States took the bronze.

"It's impossible to beat Shaun these days unless he fails. He's way better than the other riders," said Piiroinen, who came the closest of anyone to the high-flying American with his own triple twisting flips. "I'm stoked with the silver today."