Before saying goodbye, Sean White had one last battle left

Despite a mistake in the first round, Sean White scored 86.25 points in the second round with a consistent set of difficult moves to advance to the final. Visual China

■ Shen Lei, special correspondent of this newspaper

Since two months ago, Sean White has repeatedly and publicly emphasized that the Beijing Winter Olympics will be his last Olympic Games. Although he had not yet qualified for the competition at that time, and it looked like the situation was precarious.

It wasn't until 20 days ago that the snowboarding superstar got olympic tickets and crossed the line in a toe-toe way — he didn't get a straight spot, but was designated an Olympian by the American Freestyle Skiing and Snowboarding Association for his high world rankings.

After more than 20 years of professional snowboarding, White is no stranger to pressure. At the Pyeongchang Olympics, he also locked up a spot a month before the tournament. But the difference is that at that time, he jumped out of his second high score of 100+. This time, although White finished third in the last game before the Olympic Games in Laax, Switzerland, the score was a far cry of 84.00 points.

White, 35, is once again experiencing stress in Beijing. At one point in the men's U-shaped field qualification tournament for snowboarding, he was at risk of being knocked out. The match, which kicked off at noon today, was brought to a climax by the "juniors" as soon as it began - the first appearance of Hirano Bumeng jumped 87.25 points, followed by Hirano Ryuka (80.75 points), Totsuka Yudou (84.50 points) have played well, and the fourth Australian star Scotty James has a high score of 88.25. The top four all scored more than 80 points, which is rare in error-prone U-shaped field competitions. Sean White, who came on the penultimate debut, failed in his first jump.

Unlike the finals, the qualifying rounds have only two chances per person. As Hirano and Scotty James raised their top score to 90+ in the race, the atmosphere at Genting Ski Park was a bit tense. Can you imagine the final of the Winter Olympics without Sean White? This is something that has not happened in the past four competitions. Fortunately, the "flying tomatoes" once again digested the pressure. The second jump was pretty good, he lifted his goggles when he landed, couldn't stop shouting, and before the 86.25 point score was beaten, he was already confident that he would be in the final.

This score and the ranking of 4th place are enough for promotion, but for the final, it is too mediocre. But how many people care if White can get on the podium at his fifth Olympics? It's no secret that he's no longer the favourite to dominate the sport for more than fifteen years, and the young people who grew up watching him play are trying to establish a whole new order.

Every interview booth in the mixed interview area, as long as there is anyone, will pull Shaun White and ask a few questions. "What is your impression of Norway?" "Let's talk about Scotty James?" "Is this really your last Olympics?" Each media outlet raises a variety of questions based on its own position. Such an opportunity should not be missed, after all, the chance against snowboarder Sean White is only these last two.

White patiently answered everyone. He had long been accustomed to the feeling of all the cameras being pointed at himself, and he had learned to be gentle, as he always did. Someone held out a small live microphone recording, and White said, "This microphone is so cute, let me hold it for you." "Kindness is also rewarded. A Norwegian TV reporter gave him a box of small tomatoes after the interview, which made the "flying tomatoes" laugh.

The snow at Genting Ski Park is getting heavier and heavier. An hour has passed since the end of the race, and Sean White has still not stepped out of the mixed zone. In the whole area, he is the only player left. Just as in the past fifteen or sixteen years, he has represented the entire veneer U pool, and he alone. (This newspaper Chongli special telegram on February 9)

Source: Wen Wei Po