As a legendary superstar in the snowboarding world and a gold medalist in the U-shaped pool event at the three-time Winter Olympics, American Sean M. White, with his curly red hair, is affectionately known as the "flying tomato" by ski fans. A few days ago, White locked a ticket for the Beijing Winter Olympics at the last minute, and the 35-year-old "elderly" will start his fifth winter Olympic journey, and he will also become the oldest Olympian ever in the project.
It was incredible, I was an Olympian again. I'm honored to be in this sport for so long. Sometimes when I look around, I see that all my former competitors have transformed into coaches. The Beijing Winter Olympics will be the last I will participate in, I don't want to give up any opportunity, I will try some new moves. I want to be in the best shape I can once I'm in the race. —— American snowboarder Sean White
Although White is the "big devil" in the snowboarding world, his sporting career has not been smooth. White suffered from severe congenital heart disease as a child, and doctors had told his parents that he might not be 20 years old without timely and effective treatment. In order to let their son grow up healthy, White's parents had to take him around for medical treatment, and before the age of 5, White underwent two major heart surgeries, which were fortunately successful. At the age of 6, White fell in love with snowboarding, and although he was thin at a young age, his parents did not object to it.
It is worth mentioning that White's place at that time did not allow children under the age of 12 to practice skiing, so his father Roger volunteered to become White's enlightenment coach. Due to the lack of physical strength at first, when he first started practicing skiing, White suffered a lot, and his whole body was often blue and purple, and dislocation was commonplace, but even so, he never thought of giving up, but the more he fell, the braver he fell. White grew so quickly that he was 7 years old when he was already competing in official snowboarding competitions, when White said to his parents, "I want to be the world champion!" ”
Six years later, a major equipment supplier had the foresight to sign with White, and he became the youngest professional snowboarder ever since. It was also in that year that White began to make a name for himself in major events, and in many of the world's top competitions, White won gold medals. At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, the 20-year-old White stood on the Olympic field for the first time, and in the face of many good players, he confidently and brilliantly completed the super difficult action, bringing home the gold medal of the U-shaped pool of the Winter Olympics, and since then, he has won the U-shaped pool championship in all major competitions in the world! Four years later at the Vancouver Winter Olympics, White, who was at the peak of his career, unsurprisingly won the event.
Snowboarding is a very dangerous sport, and I have broken my wrists and ankles. On the snowy slopes, I have shed blood and been injured, but I have never thought of giving up, and my family has always supported me, and I want to give them the gold medal. —— American snowboarder Sean White
However, at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, the 28-year-old White made a series of major mistakes in the competition and missed the podium, which once made people think that the era of "flying tomatoes" was over. After that Winter Olympics, White announced that he was temporarily out of the field, and since then he has played bands, acted in movies, and partnered with his brothers to open a company, such a life is full, comfortable and comfortable, but in the dead of night, White always feels that something is missing in life, that is, snowboarding that grew up with him.
At the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, 32-year-old White stood on the starting platform of the U-shaped pool again under the anticipated eyes. In order to win the gold medal again, White chose the ultra-difficult action of "back to back 1440". You know, when White tried this action in training before, he accidentally hit the edge of the U-shaped pool with his head and almost died, and his face was stitched with as many as 62 stitches. Even his old father, who had always supported him, persuaded him to abandon the use of this dangerous maneuver.
However, White decided to "fight with his life", and this time, he succeeded, and he scored a game-high 97.75 points! After learning this score, White excitedly threw away the snowboard, knelt down to cover his face and wept, and "Flying Tomato" once again stood on the top podium of the Winter Olympics!
Now, with another four years passing since the Sochi Winter Olympics, it remains to be seen if the 35-year-old White can sweep his opponents at the Winter Olympics and bring his career to a perfect end, and we will see at the Chongli Genting Arena in February. Of course, no matter what the outcome, the legend written by this "Veneer Demon King" is already immortal!
For a long time, the world has been under the haze of the epidemic, but fortunately we still have the Winter Olympics, which is a very remarkable thing. For a veteran like me, there really isn't much left in my career. If the Winter Olympics were postponed for another year, I might not be able to compete. So I am very grateful to China, to the Olympic family, for hosting the Winter Olympics at such a difficult time. I am looking forward to the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics, because I know that Chinese culture is colorful and I believe that the opening ceremony will be very exciting. —— American snowboarder Sean White