Olympics 2022 — At his fifth Games, Shaun White is still snowboarding’s greatest competitor

TWO DAYS AFTER Shaun White arrived in Beijing, he posted a photo of the Olympic halfpipe to his Instagram account. In the shot, White stands in front of the pipe, eyes narrowed in the direction of the camera. A black neck gaiter shields the rest of his face. He’s dressed in his Team USA uniform and holding a black-and-white snowboard that bears his name.

On the surface, it is a mundane photo of a guy in snowboard gear standing in front of a big pile of snow. But with context, it is an image of finality, a shot of the sport’s greatest competitor posing with his instrument in front of what will soon be his final stage. Because in the months leading up to this, his fifth Winter Olympics, White sidestepped action sports superstition and called “last run,” revealing this would be his final attempt to add to his Olympic medal haul.

“I had my sights set on competing in Italy [in 2026],” White said in January, three days before officially qualifying for the Beijing Games. “I got pretty excited about the idea of finishing my Olympic career where I started it [in 2006]. But through this process, I realized I don’t think I can do another four years, mentally or physically. This is going to be my last go.”

After a few years away from snowboard contests and a failed run at qualifying for the 2020 Summer Olympics in skateboarding, White returned to the halfpipe in 2021 with clear goals and a fresh perspective. Each of the past four Winter Olympics has held different meaning for the 35-year-old, and his motivation for dropping into halfpipe contests has shifted over the years. Once he wrapped his mind around Beijing being the finish line for a career that has spanned 20 years and nearly as many hairstyles, he says this season and all its unexpected challenges,…