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A look back at Shaun White's Olympics career: Torino to Beijing

As the snowboarding legend gets ready to compete in his last Olympics halfpipe, here's a look back at his Olympics since 2006.

BEIJING, China — As Shaun White prepares for what he says will be his last Olympic halfpipe competition, this seems like the right moment to look back at the U.S. snowboarding legend's Olympics appearances, starting with his first in 2006.

Back then, he was a 19-year-old phenom with wild hair that got him the nickname "The Flying Tomato."

In 2022 in Beijing, on his fifth trip to the Winter Olympics, he's 35 years old and dealing with the remnants of multiple injuries over the years. He said at a news conference last week that this Olympics will mark the end of his professional snowboarding career.

"In my mind, I've decided this will be my last competition," he said.

RELATED: The last run: Shaun White says Olympics will be his final competition

So let's take a look back at White's long and decorated career in Olympics snowboarding.

2006 Torino Olympics

Credit: AP
United States Shaun White celebrates on the podium after winning the Men's Halfpipe Snowboard competition at the Turin 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Bardonecchia, Italy Sunday, Feb. 12, 2006. United States Daniel Kass finished second and Finland's Markku Koski took third. (AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau)

The 19-year-old from California went to Torino, Italy, for the 2006 Olympics and walked away with his first gold medal in halfpipe.

The snowboarder known as "The Flying Tomato" earned his title with a 46.8-point first run in the final, bearing teammate Danny Kass (44 points) and Markku Koski of Finland (41.5 points).

2010 Vancouver Olympics

Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
USA's gold medalist Shaun White reacts during the men's halfpipe medal ceremony at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2010. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

At the 2010 Games in Canada, White earned his second gold medal with 48.4 points and a victory over Peetu Piiroinen of Finland (45 points) and his U.S. teammate Scott Lago (42.8 points).

He even earned the stateside honor of appearing on a Wheaties box, along with fellow Team USA gold medalists Lindsey Vonn and Seth Westcott.

2014 Sochi Olympics

Credit: AP
Shaun White, of the United States, looks at the scoreboard after competing in the men's snowboard halfpipe final at the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park, at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2014, in Krasnaya Polyana, Russia. White fourth. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

White planned to compete in halfpipe and slopestyle, but he withdrew from the slopestyle competition just before the Games began. He said he wanted to focus solely on earning a third straight gold medal in halfpipe.

When it came time for his signature event, he was denied the three-peat.

In fact, he was denied a place on the podium at all. His second run score of 90.25 points wasn't enough to catch the leaders: Ioiuri Podladtchikov of Switzerland, who took gold, and Japan's Ayumu Hirano and Taku Hiraoka, who took silver and bronze.

2018 Pyeongchang Olympics

Credit: AP
Shaun White, of the United States, celebrates his gold medal win in snowboard halfpipe at the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games in South Korea, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press via AP)

White arrived in South Korea without being the favorite in the halfpipe. He'd also suffered a devastating fall the previous October that left him in the hospital. He needed the performance of his life, and he responded to the pressure in a dramatic fashion.

On the second run, White was trailing Hirano, who won silver in Sochi. He was the last man down and pulled out a score of 97.75 to win his third gold medal in the event.

2022 Beijing Olympics

Credit: AP
United States' Shaun White trains in the halfpipe course at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 6, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Fast forward to 2022, and White is in Beijing for his fifth Olympics and one last go at the halfpipe.

White qualified for the finals, scoring 72.00, 85.00 and 14.75, finishing fourth and just off the podium in what he says is the final competition of his career.
 

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