Three-time Olympic gold medallist Shaun White has decided at the last minute to take part in a world cup event in Switzerland after this week.
The 35-year-old White withdrew from the final of an Olympic qualifier last weekend in Mammoth Mountain, California, and has been feeling the lingering effects of recent times.
He is currently ranked 14th on the World Snowboarding Points List and is the fourth-best American on the List, which would be enough to clinch one of the four spots on the U.S. Olympic team’s men’s Halfpipe.
A strong finish at the French Open, which begins Thursday with qualifying, would solidify that Stand. American team coaches may also use a discretionary selection to give a spot to whites.
White had finished fourth, seventh and eighth in the three qualifying events scheduled before the Final at Mammoth Mountain, where he officially finished 12th The absence of a podium prevented him from getting a first place.
So far only one American, Taylor Gold, has taken a podium spot to qualify this way.
Another method used by the American team to fill their places is to access the list of world points. Chase Josey comes in 12th this week and Lucas Foster is 13th, one spot ahead of White. Chase Blackwell will be 17.
The qualifying phase ends Jan. 16, the day after the Sept. The Winter X Games are next weekend, but would not be taken into account in the qualifying criteria.
White is aiming for his fifth Olympics and there is little chance he will be left out of the team, even on a below-average trip to Switzerland. But a variety of factors have prevented him from showing his best in all three of this winter’s big events.
A broken link injured him during the Dew Tour finals in December. Last weekend at Mammoth he easily qualified for his first race, but was tired afterwards and decided not to participate in the Final. A few days before Mammoth, White announced that he had tested positive for recent times in December, but had been cleared to compete since.
The U.S. team’s coaches will be present in the Jan. 17 and must submit their selection to the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee by Jan. 21.
