Sochi Olympics 2014 VIDEO: Event Update First Look
Last weekend couldn’t have gone any worse for Shaun White. After a great qualifying round at the Dew Tour iON Mountain Championships, White finished the superpipe finals in second place – behind fellow American Greg Bretz – though a spill early on proved to injure the 27-year-old.
It turned out that White had re-aggravated an ankle sprain and, in a smart move, he elected to sit out of the slopestyle finals in the hopes he could rest and focus on his health. White spent the day sitting on the couch with his foot in a bucket of ice, as he showed the world via his Twitter account. But with less than two months until the start of the 2014 Sochi Games, the spotlight is on the two-time Olympic gold medalist as many now wonder just what kind of shape he is in after the injury.
White made it clear that he’s not going to let the injury get the best of him, but rather he’s going to press on and continue on his quest to make the U.S. Snowboard Team. His ankle might not be cooperating right now but that won’t stop him from competing in this weekend’s World Cup event in Colorado. On Tuesday, White took to Facebook, posting a picture of a halfpipe with the comment “I am in the building” above it. That’s one way of clearing up any speculation.
After all, he is looking to three-peat in the Olympic halfpipe event, while slopestyle is brand new to the games this year. He’s the only U.S. men’s hopeful that plans on taking part in both events – where he’s considered the favorite. White needs 50 points and a top-30 finish in a World Cup event to be eligible for the Olympics and if he can accomplish that this weekend, the pressure might be lifted, allowing him time to focus on being 100 percent. But who knows, given his ankle. It depends on how he feels.
Ed Miller is a contributor for CraveOnline Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @PhillyEdMiller or “like” CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
Photo Credit: Getty
