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SOCHI 2014
An American doesn’t medal in halfpipe for first time ever in event
“He’s incredible. That run on that halfpipe. Wow.”
Snowboarding
FINISHED IN 10TH PLACE, SAID OF GOLD-
End of U.S. Reign? Men’s snowboarding halfpipe has been an Olympic event since 1998, with the U.S. winning eight out of a possible 12 medals in the four previous Olympics. But for the first time, the U.S. was shut out in the halfpipe Tuesday. (E XPRESS)
MEDALIST IOURI PODLADTCHIKOV
GETTY IMAGES PHOTOS
Shaun White lost to a kid they call the “I-Pod,” and now, he may never hear the end of it. White, the best snowboarder of his era and one of the best-known and best-marketed athletes at the Sochi Games, didn’t even win a medal. He finished fourth. The 27-year-old American, who opted out of the Olympic slopestyle debut and put all his chips in the halfpipe, where he hoped to win a third straight gold medal, got knocked off by Iouri Podladtchikov, the Russian-born inventor of the “Yolo,” the trick that White could not master. “I’m disappointed,” White said. “I hate the fact I nailed it in practice, but it happens. It’s hard to be consistent.” The Japanese pair of 15-yearold Ayumu Hirano and 18-yearold Taku Hiraoka won silver and bronze, and the Americans were shut out on the halfpipe for the first time since the sport was introduced to the Olympics in 1998. Podladtchikov, 25, who now lives in and competes for Switzerland, landed the trick successfully at an event in Europe last season, but hadn’t done it since. White watched the replay of I-Pod’s trick last March on his computer and went to work trying to match it. He landed it twice in qualifying events and was listed as the
— A MERICA N DA NN Y DAV IS, WHO
Shaun White, top, finished fourth to Iouri Podladtchikov, who won gold in halfpipe.
1998 Nagano
2002 Salt Lake City
2006 Turin
heavy favorite to become the seventh person to win three straight gold medals in an individual event at the Winter Games. On White’s first of two runs in the final, his attempt at the Yolo ended with a fall that left him sliding down the halfpipe on his backside. I-Pod had scored an 86.5 in his first run — clearly in medal contention — and then won it on his second attempt. The Yolo includes a total of 1440 degrees of spin — two head-over-heels flips and two 360-degree turns. He landed it and even though he only threw five tricks, when most riders were trying six in a supersized, superslushy halfpipe, the judges liked what they saw. His 94.75 in the second finals run put huge pressure on White. White’s first two jumps of his second finals run were flawless. Then, the Yolo. The form looked good during his three seconds in the air, but on the landing, he skittered down the pipe and lost speed. White’s score of 90.25 was only good enough for fourth. “I saw videos of Shaun doing it really well,” I-Pod said of the Yolo. “I got bummed, said, ‘Damn, that’s my trick and he’s doing it better than me.’ Today, I guess I was doing it a little better.” EDDIE PELLS (AP)
2010 Vancouver
2014 Sochi
Gian Simmen, Switzerland
Ross Powers, USA
Shaun White, USA
Shaun White, USA
Iouri Podladtchikov, Switzerland
Daniel Franck, Norway
Danny Kass, USA
Danny Kass, USA
Peetu Piiroinen, Finland
Ayumu Hirano, Japan
Ross Powers USA
JJ Thomas, USA
Markku Koski, Finland
Scotty Lago, USA
Taku Hiraoka, Japan
MORRY GASH (AP)
White, U.S. Left Off Podium Canada’s Dara Howell won gold in women’s freestyle skiing slopestyle.
Canada’s Dominance Continues Freestyle Skiing The lasting image of freestyle skiing pioneer Sarah Burke is her everpresent smile, the one that helped inspire kids across Canada to slap on their skis and open their minds. In an event that Burke’s extraordinary vision helped bring to the Olympics, Dara Howell channeled her idol’s style. Mouth agape after a spectacular run, Howell continued Canada’s dominance at Rosa Khutor Extreme Park by soaring to gold as women’s slopestyle skiing made a sometimes inauspicious Olympic debut. “I said the other day that I really hope a Canadian brings home a gold medal and it will be for Sarah,” Howell said. “This medal is definitely for Sarah. She pushed the sport.” Burke died in 2012 at age 29 following an accident while training on the halfpipe. A charismatic and accomplished performer and one of the key players in expanding freestyle skiing’s role in the Olympics, she served as a role model to a large swath of the Canadian freestyle team, including the 19-year-old who found herself atop a podium on Tuesday. Devin Logan of the United States took silver. Kim Lamarre earned bronze to give Canada seven medals in four days of snowboarding and freestyle skiing. WILL GR AVES (AP)