On Wednesday morning in PyeongChang (Tuesday night in the U.S.), Shaun White finally reclaimed his Olympic halfpipe title.
And with the win, he made quite a bit of history. A few of the highlights:
- 100th gold medal all-time for the United States at the Winter Olympics
- First snowboarder to win three gold medals
- First American man to win the same individual event at three different Winter Olympics
- First American athlete to win gold medals in Winter Olympics that were 12 years apart
- Third-all time in Winter Olympic gold medals among American athletes (speed skaters Bonnie Blair and Eric Heiden each have 5)
The journey started 12 years ago when White made his debut at the 2006 Torino Olympics as a 19-year-old with long, red hair. It continued four years later in Vancouver, where he won a second gold medal, and then four years after that in Sochi, where he had a disappointing fourth-place finish.
Now White is atop the podium as the Olympic halfpipe champion once again.
Here’s a look back at the three runs – spanning a total of 12 years – that earned White his three gold medals.