Just as people have to talk about Michael Jordan when they talk about basketball, when people talk about snowboarding, it's the name that can never be avoided.
Sean White grew up in an ordinary American family, suffered from congenital heart deformities at birth, was sent to the operating table many times at a young age, and doctors have bluntly said that he has only a 10% chance of surviving to the age of 20 and avoiding strenuous exercise. Today, it seems that "fortunately" White's parents did not fully listen to the doctor's advice, and their family of five drove an old-fashioned and dilapidated caravan and wholeheartedly supported their son's dream of skiing.
Despite growing up in the warm California sun, White had a special love for ice and snow, and he had been skiing with his brother since he was a child, and no one expected that it was that humble skateboard that quietly changed his life.
Behind the love is the coveted talent, White began to sweep the major junior ski championships as a teenager, his skills and guts far exceeded his peers, and he naturally embarked on the path of professional athletes. Fledgling White had the limelight at the 2002 World Series, overwhelming a number of rivals to win consecutive titles, but unfortunately was eliminated by 0.3 points in the final Salt Lake City Winter Olympic qualification tournament.
But gold always shines, and in 2006, White, who was not yet 20 years old at the time, stood on the stage of the Turin Winter Olympics as he wished, and under the rhythm of a heavy metal music, he completely released himself on the U-shaped track, completely integrated his technology and style, and finished the race with a set of creative moves, successfully winning the first Winter Olympic gold medal of his career.
And this Winter Olympics, but also officially opened the door of his superstar, the endless financial sponsorship allowed him to quickly accumulate a large amount of wealth, but his love of snowboarding has never changed.
Four years later, at that time, 24-year-old White has long become a hero in the snowboarding industry, his aerial posture is always so bloody, the landing action is always so crisp and clean, and more importantly, he is still constantly breaking through himself. At the Vancouver Winter Olympics, White, as a gold medal hit, used a killer skill that had never been seen before - airflips for 3 and a half weeks, proved himself to be the strongest person on the stage today with a first-ever action, and also achieved the gold medal defense without suspense.
The higher you stand, the more you fall. White, who had been in the limelight for a long time, was already scarred, and the successive fractures and surgical recovery were the heavy price behind his glory, so that at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, White seemed to have completely lost himself, and the once invincible man eventually lost the medal.
For White, it was undoubtedly the coldest winter of his life. Just when everyone thinks white's time is a thing of the past, at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, the god-like man returned, and this time, he almost gambled his life.
In preparation for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, White's U-shaped pool has a maximum difficulty of 1440 airflips. At the end of 2017, during a training session, he accidentally made a mistake and hit his head directly to the edge of the U-shaped pool groove, and the blood instantly stained the white track. After being taken to the hospital, White had 62 stitches on his face, as if his trip to the Winter Olympics was coming to an end.
But the 31-year-old White clearly didn't want to give up, because this may be the last Winter Olympics in his life, and he picked up his skis and resolutely stood on the field of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. In the third round, White had to surpass 95.25 points to earn the gold medal, and it was in this decisive moment that White gave his answer to the world, two consecutive near-perfect 1440 flips, claiming a super high score of 97.75. White's roar of excitement resounded throughout the snowy field, and the third Winter Olympic gold medal was in hand! He proved to the world once again that he was still the King of Limits!
At the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, 35-year-old Sean White is about to make his fifth trip to the Winter Olympics, and he is grateful to Beijing for overcoming many obstacles and giving him the opportunity to continue his winter Olympic dream. The legend came to an end, the last Winter Olympics in his career, what kind of performance will White bring to the world this time? It is worth our common expectation!