Shaun White says Winter Olympics 2022 will be his final Games
White has captured three gold medals during his Olympic career
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Shaun White said Saturday the 2022 Beijing Games will be his final Olympic competition.
White, 35, made the announcement ahead of the snowboarding competitions where he’ll be making his runs next week. He had been dealing with knee, back and ankle issues ahead of this year’s Olympics. He also had to deal with COVID-19.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FILE - United States' gold medalist Shaun White reacts during the men's halfpipe medal ceremony at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2010. The Beijing Olympics will be the fifth Olympics for the three-time gold medalist. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
"In my mind, I've decided this will be my last competition," White said.
"A sad and surreal moment. But joyous, as well. I kind of reflected on things I've done and looked at the sun going down and went, ‘Wow, next time I’m here, I won't be stressed about learning tricks or worried about some competition thing," White added.
White didn’t exactly say what he would pull off in his final run, keeping the possibility of a triple cork on the table. He would work on the trick in 2013 and then the double cork 1440, which helped him to a gold medal in the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FILE - Shaun White, of the United States, hits the edge of the half pipe during the men's snowboard halfpipe final at the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park, at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Feb. 11, 2014, in Krasnaya Polyana, Russia. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)
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"I approach every competition as, you've got to be content with your own riding. And as long as you can go out there and put down your best, and lay it out there, then you can walk away, and in your mind, be good with that," he said.
If this is truly his final run at the Olympics, White would wrap up with at least three gold medals. The San Diego native won gold in the halfpipe events in the 2006 Torino, 2010 Vancouver and 2018 Pyeongchang Games.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FILE - Men's halfpipe gold medalist Shaun White, of the United States, bites his medal during the medals ceremony at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Feb. 14, 2018. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
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The men’s halfpipe competitions begin on Wednesday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.