Snowboard star Shaun White’s Olympic status still uncertain after dropping out of US Grand Prix finals with a lingering ankle issue
- White put together a solid run during qualifying at the US Grand Prix, but aggravated a lingering ankle issue and did not participate in the finals
- The setback was the latest in a series of issues for White since he returned from a three-year sabbatical
Shaun White arrived at Mammoth Mountain hoping to lock in a spot on his fifth Olympic team.
The snowboarding superstar left it with his ankle hurting and work still left to do.
White put together a solid run during qualifying at the US Grand Prix on Saturday night but aggravated a lingering ankle issue in the process and he opted not to participate in the finals. As a result, only a portion of the 2022 US Olympic snowboarding and freestyle team was announced.
US Olympic ski and snowboard head coach Mike Jankowski said White headed back up to the top of the half-pipe for finals, but could not get warmed up enough to perform at the level that has made him one of the faces of the US Winter Olympic programme for the better part of two decades.
“If you’re off a bit and you’re not feeling your ‘A’ game, at this level, at night in the icy white, it’s risky as you know so he decided to take a break,” Jankowski said.
The setback was the latest in a series of them for White since he returned to the sport following a three-year sabbatical after his dramatic final-run triumph in Korea in 2018. He finished eighth and seventh in separate events last month and said earlier this week that he contracted Covid-19 in late December, describing his symptoms as a serious cold.