Two-time defending champion Shaun White was the last snowboarder to make his run in the Sochi Olympics Halfpipe finals; he knew what he needed to do to win a third gold medal, and he took a good shot.
Not quite good enough—the 27-year-old American snowboarding phenomenon soared a foot higher than any of his competitors and did tricks as complicated, but hit the halfpipe lip landing his third jump and landed flat and hard after his final trick. His final score of 90.25 was only good enough for fourth.
Gold went to Switzerland’s Iouri Podladtchikov, who scored 94.75 for his run. The 25-year-old Russian native didn’t hit quite the same heights and his tricks weren’t significantly more difficult, but his run seemed more dramatic—much of his score might have been based on his final twisting multiple flip which looked particularly impressive. His second-round score was the highest of the meet.
