Winter Olympics: American triple Olympic champion White set to retire
| Hosts: Beijing, China Dates: 4-20 February |
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Three-time Winter Olympic snowboarding champion Shaun White will retire from the sport after the Games in Beijing.
American White, 35, who won his first gold in 2006 in Turin, said he is “enjoying every moment” of his final Games.
The five-time Olympian, the world’s most decorated snowboarder, also took gold in Vancouver and Pyeongchang.
He also holds the record for the most medals won (18) by an individual athlete at the Winter X Games.
White, who is chasing a fourth Olympic halfpipe gold medal at Genting Snow Park, attributed his decision to lingering knee and back problems.
“It’s this and it’s that, all these things are major things that brought me to this conclusion,” he said.
Nicknamed ‘The Flying Tomato’ because of his long red hair, White became a global star as the sport rose in popularity, having been first included at the Winter Games in 1998.
He is one of only six athletes to have won at least two medals in the discipline.
White, the oldest member of the United States snowboarding team, recently said his greatest accomplishment had been to remain “on top of a sport that’s ever-changing for so long”.
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