Shaun White

Shaun White announced in a social media post on Wednesday that he and his girlfriend, actress Nina Dobrev, are engaged.

According to Vogue's Elise Taylor, White originally had a few other ideas planned for their engagement. The first was for a vacation over the summer, but that plan got scrapped after Dobrev suffered a knee injury in a dirt biking accident. The second idea was for early November when the two planned to be in Cape Town, but White altered that plan after he felt like Dobrev knew it was coming.

"She's an extremely organized person who is rarely surprised, but she loves being surprised," White said, per Taylor.

White ultimately settled on proposing in New York City at the Golden Swan Restaurant, according to Taylor.

White, who has three Olympic gold medals in snowboarding and 15 gold medals at the X Games in both snowboarding and skateboarding, announced that the 2022 Winter Olympics would be his last. He later announced he would no longer compete in snowboarding in any capacity.

With his fruitful snowboarding career now behind him, White has time for other endeavors, one of which will be planning a wedding.

When skateboarding was added as a competition in the Olympics for the first time four years ago, legendary snowboarder Shaun White considered going after a spot on Team USA.

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the Tokyo Olympics back for a year to 2021, putting White in a tough spot of choosing between his two loves of skateboarding and snowboarding.

"I remember sitting there thinking like, 'Well normally I could do this Olympics and have two years to prepare for the Winter Olympics,' which I planned on competing in, and then it got bumped by a year," White told B/R in an exclusive interview. "I'm like, 'Wow, can I really afford to spend one more year completely focused on skating and then try to cram it all in and get one year of snowboarding in order to be ready for that next Olympics?' And it became a decision of whether I was gonna compete in snowboarding or skateboarding, and I felt like I had unfinished business."

White chose to focus on preparing for the 2022 Winter Olympics in hopes of defending the gold medal he won in 2018. He placed fourth in the men's halfpipe in what ended up being the final competition of his iconic career.

However, with skateboarding returning for the Paris Olympics this summer and legends like 50-year-old Andy Macdonald set to compete, White wouldn't rule out pursuing that goal once again.

"At this point, look, Andy's doing it, so you never know. I can make a late-career comeback," he said with a laugh.

White will be in Paris to watch Team USA as it seeks a better showing this time around. In Tokyo, bronze medalists Jagger Eaton and Cory Juneau were the only two Americans who earned spots on the podium. Eaton and legendary street skateboarder Nyjah Huston are back on the roster, so White believes they will be more prepared to compete on the world stage.

"It's not easy to show up at the Olympics and compete, and to be on that world stage wearing that Team USA uniform that you're not used to with all these other athletes. It's its own unique challenge, I would say," White explained. "For somebody like Nyjah, he's able to have been once before, and now he knows what to expect. So there's nothing more incredible as an athlete, to get a second bite at the apple. ... I'm really pulling for our athletes, especially the ones who are returning. I think they have an incredible chance to do well because they know the layout now."

In addition to being the most decorated snowboarder of all time with three Olympic gold medals and 18 Winter X Games medals (13 gold), White also established his dominance in skateboarding with five Summer X Games medals, including gold medals in 2007 and 2011.

With the X Games set to begin on Friday in Ventura, California, White looked back on fond memories of the event but also recalled a time when his presence ruffled some feathers.

"A lot of the athletes in skateboarding were like, 'Look, I know you already have this amazing career in snowboarding.' I was at the top of my game. I was 16, I was winning all the snowboarding events, making a great living. I was arguably one of the biggest names in the sport at that point," he said. "And now I'm coming over to skateboarding, and I was just buddy-buddy with everybody and then all of a sudden it was like, 'Oh wait, if you're winning this event, you're kind of taking my paycheck in a way.' So yeah, there was a little bit of tension there because they knew I was already so successful in one thing."

White is taking things much easier in his retirement. While he's still committed to his workout regimen, he's learning to slow down. He recently traveled to Aruba earlier this month to host a Relaxathon, which was a 60-minute relaxation competition verified by science that featured 100 relaxers from around the world.

The competitors spent an hour relaxing on the beach while wearing heart monitors and the top three earned gold, silver and bronze prize packages plus the title of "World's Greatest Relaxer." White is attempting to become the "King of Relaxation" this summer, so the event was a great experience for him.

"I usually do something physical every day, I try to be active. I try to either ride a bike or go play pickleball or do a light workout, something like that. And then I feel like my rest and my time to just relax is so important," he said. "It's so important to just take a moment to be like, 'Let's put the checklist of things I need to do aside, and let's just take a deep breath and enjoy the moment.' ... I think that's the thing you find in retirement, you're so appreciative of the time that you have now."

However, that doesn't mean the 37-year-old has completely given up on his daredevil ways, as he said he's still doing extreme sports "in moderation" while finding time to rest and recharge.

"I think it's just as important to be active and do those things as it is to shut down and just be OK with the nothingness for a bit, which was a really hard thing for me to do when I was younger," he added.

White is also doing his part to give back to the sport he loves, as he recently announced that he will be launching a professional snowboarding circuit in March 2025. The Snow League will fill a void by providing athletes with competitions to stay active as they prepare for the 2026 Winter Olympics. The league will also have a total prize purse of at least $1.5 million.

"It's just so needed," White said of The Snow League. "When I was 16, I won pretty much every contest that I entered, and I got to the end of the season and I'll never forget a reporter going, 'Amazing, you won pretty much everything you entered, this hasn't been done before in the sport, but how does it feel to not be the world champion?' And I'm like, 'What? What do I have to do, and what did I not do to not earn that title?' And right there you kind of understand that there's a disconnect within the sport."

White admitted that this venture does give him an itch to return to competition, but he has appreciated the new experience of being on the other side of building a league from scratch.

"That's the hardest part, it's so frustrating because it's like I wish this was around when I competed because it would be so amazing, so a part of me is slightly jealous that I don't get to participate," he said. "And then the thought of competing is like, well, is it weird that I'm competing and it's something that I'm putting on? ... I gotta admit, I've been really enjoying this place in my life. I've done that dance for so long, and it's an incredible one."

However, he added that he likely won't be able to resist getting in a couple of runs when The Snow League is up and ready.

"There's a really beautiful space that I've been living in and I would hate to disturb that ecosystem, but yeah, you never know," he said. "I don't know. I definitely would have to do some sort of forerun. I'm not gonna build this pipe and then not ride it."

Legendary snowboarder and skateboarder Shaun White is starting a professional snowboarding circuit, The Snow League, in March 2025.

"We are building this league with the athletes in mind first," he told Sportico's Eric Jackson. "That means top quality venues with the best pipes and courses, telling their stories to a wider audience on bigger platforms, drastically increasing the prize purses that they're competing for, and generally bringing them into the process to guide the sport forward for future generations."

The Snow League will launch with an inaugural event in the United States, with four overseas events to follow.

It's an exciting time for snowboard enthusiasts, with the X Games launching a team-format snowboarding league in 2026, the X Games League,

"I sensed that our sport was at a crossroads and really needed to be re-framed and presented in a way where we could stand shoulder to shoulder with other globally celebrated sports," White said. "So, it was the perfect time to realize a vision I've had for a long time, to provide a much-deserved platform for the next generation of superstars to rise and give fans new ways to immerse themselves in our sport."

The Closing Ceremony for the 2022 Winter Olympics took place Sunday at China's National Stadium in Beijing, bringing an end to the 24th Winter Games.

Although lacking the over-the-top pageantry of the Opening Ceremony, the Olympics' final event still featured displays of Chinese culture along with a Parade of Nations that saw all of the athletes enter the stadium together rather than separately like when the Games began.

The ceremony also featured the traditional passing of the Olympic flag, as China handed over hosting duties to Italy ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach were among those on hand. The United States engaged in a diplomatic boycott of the Games while still allowing its athletes to compete.

The Olympic competitions wrapped up earlier Sunday in Beijing with Finland capturing the final gold medal with its triumph over the Russian Olympic Committee in men's ice hockey.

Norway dominated the medal table at the Games by capturing both the most gold medals and the most total medals over the past 18 days. Here's a look at the leaders in golds:

• 1. Norway: 16
• 2. Germany: 12
• 3. China: 9
• T-4. United States: 8
• T-4. Sweden: 8
• T-4: Netherlands: 8

And the top countries in total medals:

• 1. Norway: 37
• 2. ROC: 32
• 3. Germany: 27
• 4. Canada: 26
• 5. United States: 25

It's the second straight time Norway sat atop the overall medal table after finishing with 39 medals at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.

In all, 109 medal events were held across 15 different disciplines since play began Feb. 2. The Opening Ceremony was officially held Feb. 4.

From an American perspective, the standout performers included figure skater Nathan Chen, who won gold in the men's individual competition, snowboarder Chloe Kim, who dominated the women's halfpipe for the second straight Olympics, and speed skater Erin Jackson, the winner of the women's 500 meters.

The Games also brought an end to the decorated career of snowboarder Shaun White, who won the men's halfpipe three times at the Olympics, most recently in 2018. He finished fourth in the event this year before an emotional send-off.

Next up on the Olympic schedule are the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, which will come just three years after the most recent Summer Games since the 2020 Tokyo Olympics were delayed until 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

After Paris, the focus will shift toward the 2026 Winter Games in Italy as Europe hosts the next two Olympics after three straight in Asia.

Three-time Olympic gold medalist Shaun White posted a farewell message Friday after his decorated career ended last week at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

White, 35, retired following the men's halfpipe at the Beijing Games, where he finished just off the podium in fourth place. In addition to his Olympic snowboarding success, he also captured 15 X Games gold medals between snowboarding and skateboarding.

The San Diego native captured his first Olympic gold medal in the halfpipe at the 2006 Torino Games. He repeated the feat in 2010 and 2018.

His final Olympic run couldn't deliver a storybook ending as he fell while attempting his second trick, but the other competitors met him at the bottom of the run to congratulate him.

White got emotional during an interview with NBC's Randy Moss while saying goodbye to the sport:

His first X Games gold medal came in 2003 when he won the superpipe competition. He claimed the top spot on the podium in a skateboarding event at the X Games for the first time in 2007 in the vert.

Although his days as an active competitor are over, he's still planning to remain heavily involved in extreme sports through his company, Whitespace, and as a mentor to the next generation.

He told Rachel Axon of USA Today there's a good chance he'll be at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy in that new capacity.

"I don't want to beat these guys anymore. I want to sponsor them," White said. "Not to sign them or whatever, but to help their career, to help guide and my experiences and what I've learned. Even Scotty [James] and I were joking, and he was like, 'I think I'm going again.' I would be honored to get that phone call from whoever to support and be a part of this sport in any way that's given me so much."

White along with legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk, who he named in his farewell message as a "role model," have been the faces of extreme sports for the past few decades.

Now it's time for others, including Beijing gold medalists Chloe Kim and Ayumu Hirano, to carry the competitive torch into the future.

Ayumu Hirano probably deserved to win the gold medal in the men's halfpipe event at the Beijing Games on Thursday after his second run, landing the first triple cork in the history of the event, but the judges saw things differently. 

So the Japanese star, trying to catch Australia's Scotty James, went even more massive on his final run. 

This time, the judges left no doubt, giving him a score of 96.00 that was good enough to earn the two-time silver medalist his first gold in the event. James (92.50) took silver and Switzerland's Jan Scherrer (85.00) claimed bronze. 

One of the big stories on the night was Shaun White, in his final Games. The three-time gold medalist and defending champion in the event finished fourth with a score of 85.00, tantalizing close to earning his fourth medal in the event. 

Taylor Gold (81.75) and Chase Josey (79.50) of the United States finished fifth and seventh, respectively.

But Hirano was the biggest story on the night, for more than one reason. His second run was absolutely massive, and caused an uproar when it didn't place him above James. 

All's well that ends well. Hirano got his gold, even if it took him one more run than expected. 

He wasn't the only Hirano to make Olympic history—Kaishu Hirano set a world record with some absolutely massive air:

Quite the night for the family. 

After a thrilling Olympic women's snowboard halfpipe final earlier this week, it's now the men's turn.

In the women's final, Chloe Kim became the first woman to win back-to-back Olympic snowboard halfpipe gold medals. On the men's side, of course, American Shaun White did it at the Torino 2006 and Vancouver 2010 Games, and he was the halfpipe Olympic gold medalist at the Pyeongchang 2018 Games.

However, the 35-year-old isn't favored to win gold again at Beijing 2022. In fact, no Americans are. There's a high likelihood the men's halfpipe final could see a Japanese sweep of the podium, and the rider best suited to prevent that from happening is Australia's Scotty James.

Still, anything can happen in the final; a fall from a heavy favorite can open up the field to anyone who can put down a high-scoring clean run.

Let's take a closer look at the 12 riders who advanced to the final from qualifiers and who to watch when the action goes down Thursday night (Friday morning in China).

Men's Halfpipe Final Start List

1. Chase Josey, United States

2. Patrick Burgener, Switzerland 

3. Andre Hoeflich, Germany 

4. Kaishu Hirano, Japan

5. Jan Scherrer, Switzerland

6. Taylor Gold, United States

7. Yuto Totsuka, Japan

8. Valentino Guseli, Australia 

9. Shaun White, United States

10. Ruka Hirano, Japan

11. Scotty James, Australia 

12. Ayumu Hirano, Japan 

Men's Halfpipe Final Odds

Ayumu Hirano +150

Scotty James +250

Shaun White +500

Yuto Totsuka +850

Men's Halfpipe Schedule

Date: Thursday, Feb. 10

Time: 8:30 p.m. ET 

TV: NBC

Live Stream: NBCOlympics.com, Peacock

No one seemed to tell the men's halfpipe riders that Tuesday night's event was just a qualifier.

We saw some extremely heavy riding from the field of 25 snowboarders representing 12 nations. Ayumu Hirano started his second run with back-to-back double cork 1440s (four full rotations, two off-axis flips), while broadcasters initially thought James ended his second run with a frontside double 1620 tailgrab, but the official results analysis scored it as a 1440.

The level of riding was so high that, initially, White looked to be in trouble. After catching his heel edge and falling on his first run, the pressure was on for his second run. He was sitting in 19th place, well outside the top-12 cutoff.

But the American put down a clean second run that included a frontside double 1080, cab double 1080 melon grab, frontside 540, Double McTwist 1260 Weddle grab (his signature trick) and frontside double 1260 to qualify in fourth place.

Unlike in the women's final, where Kim was the only American to advance, there are three Americans in the men's halfpipe final: Taylor Gold, White and Chase Josey. The fourth member of the U.S. snowboard halfpipe team, Lucas Foster, did not advance to the final.

However, the three remaining Americans will have their work cut out for them to earn a spot on the podium. Totsuka is ranked No. 1 in the world and has duked it out with White, James and Ayumu Hirano over the years for halfpipe supremacy.

James is coming off a halfpipe gold at X Games Aspen in January. Hirano won the contest before that, the Laax Open. White didn't compete at X Games and finished third at the Laax Open.

But Ayumu Hirano, Ruka Hirano and Totsuka have a trick up their sleeve that, if they can incorporate it cleanly into a run, is sure to contend for gold. It's the triple cork, which hadn't been done in competition until this year, when Ayumu Hirano landed it at Dew Tour as part of a 1440. He landed it again at X Games, but both times he fell when attempting his next trick.

Ruka Hirano and Totsuka landed the trick at training camp in Saas-Fee, Switzerland, this fall. James seems to have the trick in his bag as well after spending time training at a private halfpipe in Europe this past year. White has suggested he has it, too, but he hasn't landed it that anyone knows of.

The men's halfpipe final promises to showcase some of the wildest progression snowboarding has seen. Be sure to tune in at 8:30 p.m. ET Thursday.

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If Tuesday's qualification runs were any indication, Japan's Ayumu Hirano will be the one to beat in the men's snowboard halfpipe at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

Hirano paced the field with a score of 93.25, which put him safely into Thursday's final. Each of the 25 competitors were scheduled for two runs in qualifications with the best single score counting, and the top 12 advanced to the three-run final where their qualification scores will not carry over.

Here is a look at the 12 qualifying scores, per the Olympics' official website:

1. Ayumu Hirano (JPN), 93.25
2. Scotty James (AUS), 91.25
3. Ruka Hirano (JPN), 87.00
4. Shaun White (USA), 86.25
5. Valentino Guseli (AUS), 85.75
6. Yuto Totsuka (JPN), 84.50
7. Taylor Gold (USA), 83.50
8. Jan Scherrer (SUI), 79.25
9. Kaishu Hirano (JPN), 77.25
10. Andre Hoeflich (GER), 75.00
11. Patrick Burgener (SUI), 73.00
12. Chase Josey (USA), 69.50

The biggest storyline coming into the event, at least from an American perspective, was the presence of 35-year-old Shaun White. Not only did he become the event's oldest men's competitor in Olympic history by participating, but he also did so with the knowledge this will be the last-ever Olympic Games of his legendary career.

"This has all had its amazing glow to every single decision and every single competition because I've decided this will be my last Olympics," White told reporters.

A major difference this time around is the reality he was not the favorite despite taking home the gold medal at the 2006, 2010 and 2018 Games.

That is a testament to a loaded field that includes reigning X Games champion Scotty James of Australia and Japan's talented trio of Ayumu Hirano, Yuto Totsuka and Ruka Hirano. Ayumu Hirano has won the last two Olympic silver medals.

White's four biggest challengers followed the script during the first run and were all in the top five, with James leading the way.

However, the pressure was firmly on the American star, who fell during his first run and needed a solid second attempt just to qualify for the final in his last Olympics.

As if there wasn't enough pressure on him, Ayumu Hirano, Ruka Hirano and James all improved on their scores in the second run—with the latter busting out a frontside 1620 tail grab—underscoring just how loaded the field is in Beijing.

Yet White, as he has so many times throughout his legendary career, came through in the clutch with an impressive run that included a frontside double-cork 1080 and a double McTwist 1260.

While it wasn't good enough to beat Ayumu Hirano, James or Ruka Hirano, it set the stage for what promises to be a memorable final.