Last night, Shaun White won his second olympic gold medal in the halfpipe event. After the first run he set a score of 46.8, and after the rest of the riders had their second run, no-one had really come close. So as he set out on his second run, he already knew he had won the gold, it was in effect, a victory lap. His second run, devoid of pressure, was outstanding; a huge backside air, followed by a double-cork 1080 into a switch double-cork 1080, 540 stalefish, and on his final hit, the double mctwist 1260, which has now become known as the tomahawk. He scored 48.4, and along with winning gold, surely sets him up as the most progressive rider, and the best halfpipe rider ever.
We’ve found a new video of the event, but as it’s the whole thing, it’s long. You might wanna pause it, let it buffer and skip through at your leisure later! Highlight for me was Kazuhiro Kokubo’s oh so stylish Japan McTwist at 28mins (second run at 39.30mins). Shaun Whites winning run is at 55mins. There’s plenty of sick riding throughout though, but at least you can skip the adverts!
2010 Olympic Halfpipe Qualis and Finals from snowbroader.eu on Vimeo.