Watch Shaun White's nearly perfect qualifying run that everyone is calling 'unreal'
Shaun White quickly silenced the critics who have been suggesting that he is favored by judges with an insane second qualifying run on Tuesday in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
White scored a 98.50 out of a possible 100 to secure the No.1 spot in Wednesday’s final — which will air in the U.S. Tuesday night — to remind fans just how talented he is on the slopes.
SHAUN WHITE IS ON A MISSION. #BestOfUS #WinterOlympics https://t.co/E1XuTKthTN pic.twitter.com/Lp6pO9048O
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 13, 2018
https://twitter.com/Sean_WGEM/status/963287807987998720
Three of the six judges gave White a 99 for his run, while the other scored it a 98.
White, who thought he had locked up a spot in the finals after his first qualifying run, had to quickly adjust in his second run after Australia’s Scotty James and Japan’s Ayumu Hirano soared past White on the leaderboard with impressive runs of their own.
“I was stoked to put that (first) run down,” White said. “That took the pressure and the edge off and then I started seeing everyone putting these great runs in and I figured I would step it up. They motivated me to send it on that last one.”
White answered with his trademark amplitude, dropping back-to-back 1260s of his own, and catapulting him back to the top of the leaderboard.
.@ShaunWhite posted a 98.50 … in QUALIFYING?! #WinterOlympics #BestOfUS pic.twitter.com/sz5PFIBWIH
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 13, 2018
Fans across the country were left almost speechless by White’s performance.
https://twitter.com/NanoTissera/status/963320021530304512
Unreal!!! @shaunwhite is a BEAST. #beastmode https://t.co/WSmFM2Wp8Y
— Dina Kupfer (@DinaKupfer) February 13, 2018
The “Flying Tomato” looks to become the first snowboarder to win three Olympic gold medals, but not without competition from some the sport’s best in James and Hirano.
James, who did not show it in the qualifying round, has a switch-backside double-cork 1260 in his arsenal for the final round — a trick that no other rider in the field has accomplished.
Reigning Olympic halfpipe gold medalist Louri Podladtchikov also completed the coveted trick, but is not competing in the Olympics due to an injury he sustained during this year’s X Games.
Hirano, on the other hand, recently became the first rider to land back-to-back 1440s, a combo that White also plans to unveil during the final round.
None of these tricks came out in the qualifying, but expect an exciting final round Tuesday night as these riders and nine others battle it out for the gold medal.
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