Shaun White has his worst finish at X Games since he was 13 years old
Shaun White made his return to the X Games this week, but it didn't go as he had hoped.
The legendary snowboarder crashed out in 11th place, his worst finish since he came in 15th place in 2000, his first X Games ever. He was 13 years old that year.
White got plenty of air on his runs at Buttermilk Mountain, reaching over 21 feet above the superpipe, but fell or stumbled every run.
White has won gold at X Games six times, but this is his first time back in the competition in two years.
In 2016, a disagreement between White and the X Games organizers resulted in him not being invited to compete. White sat out the X Games in 2014 to prepare for the Sochi Games, and was not an automatic invite after he finished 4th in the competition in 2015. He said last year he believes he was not invited to the 2016 X Games due to public comments he made about ESPN's coverage of X Games and his decision to buy into the Air + Style event, a competing action sports event.
“For me, at this point, I have no hard feelings,” White said in an interview with USA TODAY Sports. “I’m just kind of like, it is what it is and I’m here to ride and look past it all.”
