The Flying Tomato is now retired. Shaun White had announced as he was preparing for this Olympics that he would be retiring as a pro snowboarder after his Olympic run in China, and with last nights fourth place finish he’s now done as a pro.
I’m not even going to lie, Shaun White is the only reason I even started watching snowboarding, The X Games, snowboarding as part of the Winter Olympics. Plus, Shaun spent a lot of his career as a skateboarder too (and yes, I watched that too).
His career didn’t end with another medal as he’d hoped, but damn, what a career The Flying Tomato has had. One of the commentators said it best as Shaun was coming off the pipe that every single one of the competitors there yesterday were there because of, and influenced by, Shaun White.
So there was a few cool post run interviews with a very emotional Shaun last night (I’m not saying a cried when I watched them…maybe I did), and a few cool things I saw honoring the snowboarding and skateboarding legend.
The end caused a tearful @shaunwhite to reflect on the beginning. https://t.co/XMH0atzGfa pic.twitter.com/p9g5mr5Mn6
— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) February 11, 2022
The greatest of all time. Your legacy in this sport will live forever. You’ve accomplished the unimaginable and set the gold standard in snowboarding.
The King, The Goat, The Greatest.
Thank you, @shaunwhite. You’ve inspired the world. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/I4jsMJnRFD
— U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team (@usskiteam) February 11, 2022
Snowboarding, thank you. It’s been the love of my life…It’s been a journey. I can’t wait to see where this sport goes. The future for me is so exciting. There’s so much I want to do in my life. So much to do, so much to live for, this is just the beginning.” – @shaunwhite 🙌 pic.twitter.com/IlytCHfSBG
— U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team (@usskiteam) February 11, 2022
I’m not saying this is the interview that made me cry, but it might have been…
“I just want to thank everyone for watching. Everyone at home, thank you. Snowboarding, thank you. It’s been the love of my life.”
An emotional @ShaunWhite reflects on his career and his final run. #WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/dTSTX30o7f
— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) February 11, 2022