Shaun White silenced the critics today.
His absence from the podium at recent major contests had cast doubts about whether or not White still had what it takes to stand above the competitive field. As the top qualifier over favorites like Ben Ferguson, Arthur Longo, and reigning champ Taylor Gold, expectations were high and he proved once again why Shaun White is a household name.
As with the ladies earlier in the day, the men also had to make last minute adjustments to cope with the changing conditions. Speed was invaluable. What separated a good run from a great run was consistent height throughout the run, something that White, Ayumu Hirano, Iouri Podladtchikov, Brett Esser, Taylor Gold and a few others were able to do. But at the end of the day no one could come close to how high White was boosting out of the pipe.
This is White’s 16th gold medal in snowboarding, and with this win it’s likely that he will continue to charge into this season, setting the bar for other riders to meet. However, with Danny Davis, Greg Bretz and several other top snowboarders missing qualifiers there are plenty of people to contest White’s return to the superpipe.
Scroll below to watch the winning runs from White, Ayumu Hirano and Iouri Podladtchikov and see the final results.
Stay tuned for more coverage from Dew Tour 2015 at Breckenridge
Shaun White’s first place run
Ayumu Hirano’s second place run
Iouri Podlatchikov’s third place run
Results
1. Shaun White, 92.60
2. Ayumu Hirano, 89.40
3. Iouri Podladtchikov, 84.20
4. Taylor Gold, 84.00
5. Brett Esser, 82.80
6. Christian Haller, 75.00
7. Matt Ladley, 74.00
8. Jan Scherrer, 67.20
9. Ben Ferguson, 62.60
10. Arthur Longo, 57.40
11. Chase Josey, 52.00
12. Gabe Ferguson, 41.60
