On a golden day for the USA, snowboarder Shaun White underlined his reputation as the event’s biggest star with a sublime array of tricks and twists in the men’s halfpipe.
Snowboard king Shaun White stole the show on day six with one of the most memorable moments from the Vancouver Games, nailing his trademark Double McTwist 1260 to seal half-pipe gold on Cypress Mountain. White’s first run saw him sweep all his rivals aside, landing an incredible succession of tricks to overtake his U.S team-mate Scott Lago with a score of 46.8. The second run saw Finland’s Peetu Piiroinen move ahead of Lago into second place with a score of 45.0, but no
one was able to get close to White’s mark.
Despite already being assured of victory, White wowed the crowd with his final run, scoring a massive 48.4 out of 50 with a superb performance that included the Double McTwist 1260 (a double-flip, three and a half spin,) which no one else has ever landed. “I didn’t want to come out all the way to Vancouver without delivering something spectacular,” said White.
The 23-year-old capped a remarkable day for the U.S. team, which was also able to celebrate Lindsey Vonn winning the women’s downhill and speed skater Shani Davis enjoying success in the 1,000m.
And the Americans weren’t done there. Julia Mancuso finished second behind Vonn to claim silver in Whistler, while Scotty Lago and Chad Hedrick won bronze medals. With six medals, it was the USA’s most successful day ever at the Olympic Winter Games.