Shaun White wins men’s halfpipe for third career Olympic gold medal
February 14, 2018 by admin
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PYEONGCHANG, South Korea — The pressure was real. So were the tears — of joy, relief, redemption.
This is why Shaun White keeps going. This is why the snowboarding superstar keeps coming back to the Olympics, a journey that’s seen him evolve from teenage phenom to global brand to living legend. One with a perpetual target on his back and impossible expectations to meet.
Standing atop the halfpipe on a gray Wednesday morning at slushy Phoenix Snow Park with his hopes for a third gold down to one final shot. White never wavered.
“I honestly knew I had it,” White said. “I knew I had to put it down.”
The stakes left him little choice. Rising star and heir apparent Ayumu Hirano had snatched the lead out of White’s hand during the men’s halfpipe final, throwing a spectacular epic second run to vault into the lead and put a portion of White’s Olympic legacy at risk.
Not that it mattered.
One deep breath, a half-dozen near flawless tricks — including back-to-back 1440s, a trick he never landed in competition before these finals — and one seemingly interminable wait later White’s return to the top of his sport was complete.
When his score of 97.75 flashed, more than two points clear of Hirano and almost six clear of Australian bronze medalist Scotty James, it all seemed worth it. The long road back from disappointment in Sochi four years ago. The painful recovery from a crash in New Zealand last fall that required emergency surgery. The notion the man who for so long served as a pioneer had been surpassed by the next generation.
Not quite yet.
“He wears the weight of the country and the world on his shoulders for this,” said J.J. Thomas, White’s longtime coach. “This is our Super Bowl. But bigger because it’s only once every four years and he stresses out.”
Funny, it didn’t show as he became the first American male to win gold at three separate Winter Olympics. Speedskater Bonnie Blair won gold in the 1988, 1992 and 1994 Games. The gold was also the 100th overall gold for the United States in the Winter Games.
“What can I say? I won the Olympics,” White said. “Three gold medals. I was just hoping they’d give it to me. I was pretty sure I put it down but it took a little while. Just trying not to make eye contact with the judges.”
James, White and Hirano traded electric runs during qualifying on Tuesday, “sending it” in snowboarding terms and sending a bit of a message in the process. The three have eyed this showdown on the world stage for months and Hirano — who edged James in the X Games last month, an event White opted to skip after locking down a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team — shrugged when asked if he was concerned about the 98.50 White put up on Tuesday to earn the right to go last in the finals.
“I know what he does and he knows what I do,” Ayumu said.
Namely, put on a show.
White put together a dazzling first run, throwing a 1440 early on and building from there. He tossed his helmet toward the crowd when he finished and celebrated in the waiting area while the judges deliberated. His score of 94.25 was tops after the first of the three finals runs, but Hirano recovered after sitting down during his first trip to put White on notice during the second.
The 19-year-old uncorked back-to-back 1440s of his own and when the crowd exploded as his 95.25 flashed, he simply shrugged his shoulders, unfazed by the stakes.
Hirano missed an opportunity to go even higher when he washed out on his final run. James put together an unspectacular last set, setting the stage for White. He called the opportunity to go last his “good luck spot.” And with good reason. He went last during his gold medal runs in Turin in 2006 and Vancouver in 2010.
Yet White had the top of the podium locked up during his last sprint down the pipe on both occasions. This moment required something more. And he delivered.
While the culture of snowboarding occasionally finds itself at odds with the competitive nature of the sport — James openly questioned the judging before the games and even said he’s “not huge on perfect scores” — White embraces it. His gold in Turin as a mop-topped 19-year-old helped launch him into a global brand. His repeat performance in Vancouver four years later, one he finished by stomping a “Double McTwist 1260″ with gold already in hand, cemented his status as arguably the greatest ever in his sport.
This time around, it felt different.
White finished a disappointing fourth in Sochi, a loss that led him to do more than a fair amount of soul searching in the aftermath. His life became more complex as he tried to juggle his snowboarding career and the endless business opportunities it provided.
Injuries started to pile up. He arrived in South Korea with stitches in his mouth from that spill in New Zealand that still hadn’t fully dissolved.
In the interim, the sport that he defined went on without him. White found himself no longer inventing tricks so much as trying to master the pioneering acrobatics of others, including Hirano.
Labeled as snowboarding’s next big thing at 13, the 5-foot-2 Hirano is a twisting, flipping, boundary-pushing whirl hardly afraid at taking on his idol.
Just not ready, at least this time, to take him down.
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Promoted by Netanyahu, Israel’s Attorney General Must Now Scrutinize Him
February 14, 2018 by admin
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His appointment two years ago to the post of attorney general was criticized by some legal experts as too swift a transition into a role that requires absolute independence as the guardian of the law and the public interest.
Although Mr. Netanyahu has blamed the left and the news media of plotting to oust him by legal means because they cannot beat him at the ballot box, Mr. Mandelblit hardly fits the profile of a politically motivated insurgent intent on bringing down the government, often described as the most right-wing and religious in Israel’s history.
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Dan Balilty/Associated Press
On the contrary, Mr. Mandelblit, who has closely followed the police investigations all along, has been accused of dragging his feet to stall them. What started as small, weekly demonstrations on Saturday nights outside Mr. Mandelblit’s house in the city of Petah Tikva, east of Tel Aviv, recently grew into several mass rallies in Tel Aviv against corruption and what many of the protesters saw as procrastination by the authorities.
The police recommendations relate to two cases in which Mr. Netanyahu is a suspect: a gifts-for-favors affair known as Case 1000, involving the Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan and an Australian businessman, James Packer; and a second scandal, called Case 2000, in which Mr. Netanyahu is suspected of back-room dealings with Arnon Mozes, publisher of the popular newspaper Yediot Aharonot, to ensure more favorable coverage.
His supporters say Mr. Mandelblit has exercised caution regarding the cases, aware of the responsibility of potentially bringing down a prime minister. If he indeed decides to press formal charges, Mr. Netanyahu will be the first sitting prime minister in Israel to be indicted.
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But Mr. Mandelblit has not shied from controversy.
In September, he said that he intended to bring fraud charges against Sara Netanyahu, the prime minister’s wife, pending a hearing, accusing her of misusing some $100,000 in public funds for takeout meals and mismanagement of the prime minister’s official residence.
Mr. Mandelblit has avoided giving interviews but has been outspoken at legal forums, often on camera.
During his time in the military, Mr. Mandelblit worked with human rights organizations, saying he valued their contributions in dealing with Palestinian complaints and helping uncover the truth.
He has more recently broken with Mr. Netanyahu on issues regarding land ownership in the West Bank, insisting on the evacuation of an illegal settlement outpost that Mr. Netanyahu and his political allies were trying to salvage.
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Mr. Mandelblit also opposed legislation to bar the police from issuing recommendations to charge public figures. After a concerted effort by allies of Mr. Netanyahu, legislation barring the police from issuing recommendations passed in December — but only on the condition that it would not apply to the current investigations against the prime minister.
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