As the moment intensified, Team USA snowboarder Shaun White knew what he had to achieve. After initially falling, White landed a “Tomahawk” 1620-degree trick in a last-moment move of desperation, winning the round and sending him straight to the finals.
The professional snowboarder, who recently announced that this year’s Olympics would be his last, was extremely relieved upon landing the trick and winning the round. “I can’t tell you the relief I felt off that last hit,” he said. “It was just the thrill and excitement to be going to finals.”
“Today we were told a lot, because you put a run down and then you see if the judges like you,” White’s coach JJ Thomas said. “[White’s] got a lot more in the tank.”
American snowboarder Chloe Kim also qualified for the women’s snowboard superpipe finals, after dominating her qualifying round with a score of 87.75. Kim is looking to become the first woman to ever win two gold medals in the event, after she won it four years ago in Pyeongchang 2018.
King and Queen 👑
ICYMI: @shaunwhite and @ChloeKim lead #TeamUSA into the halfpipe finals. #WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/2TnIS4jyMu
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) February 9, 2022
Kim was asked about her performance following her second run. “I was really nervous, cause we’re at the Olympics,” she said. ”But the goal of qualifying is just to make it through to finals, so I’m stoked. I don’t know how many more Games I’m going to do, so I’m embracing the moment as much as possible.”
While White and Kim are seeking to earn gold medals for the U.S. in the 2022 Winter Olympics, Team USA has already secured at least one. Lindsey Jacobellis took home the gold for women’s snowboard cross after finishing in first place for that event. It was the 36-year-old’s first-ever gold medal, despite this being her fifth Olympic Games. It was also the first time in sixteen years that Jacobellis finished near first place, after a disastrous outcome in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, where she fell at the last moment, forcing her to settle for silver.
“This feels incredible because this level that all the women are riding at is a lot higher than it was sixteen years ago,” Jacobellis said. “So I felt like I was a winner just that I made it into [the] finals, because that’s been a challenge every time.”
With moments of success, there also come moments of failure for others. This can be said for Mikaela Shiffrin, who had arguably her worst performance yet. The world-class alpine skier surprisingly recorded her second consecutive “Did Not Finish”, only five seconds into the slalom course. Recognizing her failure, Shiffrin sat in shock on the banks of the course, head down, contemplating her outcome.
"I'm sorry that that was the performance I did today but that also happens."
Mikaela Shiffrin reacts to her giant slalom race.
📺 NBC and @peacockTV
💻 https://t.co/XbQPOeX2QY pic.twitter.com/LNhHu6Yzna— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 7, 2022
“I’ll try to reset again, and maybe try to reset better this time,” Shiffrin said after the affair. “But I also don’t know how to do it better because I’ve never been in this position before and I don’t know how to handle it.”
Shiffrin, a four-time slalom world champion, will have another chance to redeem herself on Friday with the super-G race, and then further competitions next week. But it will take a lot for her confidence and motivation to build back up before she takes to the slopes again.
What did you think of Team USA’s performance this week? Which athlete’s performance did you enjoy the most? Let us know, by either leaving a reaction below or by sending us a tweet at @celebsecrets.
