Skating on air
Posted on 19/02/2010Arguably the most recognisable figure at the Winter Olympics, the man nicknamed 'The Flying Tomato' with his flowing auburn locks, Shaun White has single-handedly brought the Vancouver Games to life. Such is the significance of White's defence of his gold medal, writes Lawrence Donegan in The Guardian, that it is right to compare his 'Tomahawk' move to Torvill and Dean's 'perfect' Bolero routine.
Step aside American Idol, America has a new idol. After a six-year unbroken run at the top of the US television ratings, the ubiquitous talent show fronted by Simon Cowell was pushed into second place by a 23-year-old Californian with the showmanship of Liberace and the athletic grace of the Bolshoi Ballet.Such is the power of Shaun White, who brought Vancouver – and the Vancouver Games – to life with a stunning performance to take gold in the men's half-pipe snowboarding under floodlights on Wednesday night. Joy was unconfined – at the Cypress mountain complex, where the action unfolded; around downtown Vancouver, where the American's successful execution of his signature move, the Double McTwist 1260 (aka the Tomahawk; aka the single most memorable moment of the 2010 Games), was greeted in the streets with high-fives of appreciation; and, it is safe to assume, with broad smiles among the Games' organisers, who were hoping to change the narrative of a troubled first week.
Ludicrous as the comparison between the raucous hipster-ism of snowboarding and the more sedate world of ice dancing is, there is every chance the American's second of two runs down the half-pipe – the one that featured the Double McTwist (it is a double-flip, three-and-a-half spin manoeuvre for the uninitiated) – will live as long in the consciousness as the "perfect" Bolero routine of Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean in 1984.
Certainly the Californian, whose modesty is on a par with his desire to wear Savile Row suits on a daily basis, was in no mood to underestimate the import of his success in defending a title he won at the 2006 Games in Turin. "It was an historical day," he said afterwards. "To have all the eyes on me and all this pressure and just so much going on. I can't tell you how much I have been thinking about this. I haven't been able to sleep out … I am so happy it is over and so happy to win for the US."The silver medal was taken by Peetu Piiroinen of Finland, with White's team-mate Scotty Lago finishing third. But in truth the rest of the field might have been competing in another event. "It's impossible to beat Shaun unless he falls," Piiroinen said afterwards.
He did not fall – not even close.
A relatively safe – at least by his own standards – first run gave the American a decisive advantage and, as he stepped up to take his second, he had not been overtaken. In effect it could have been a ceremonial occasion. Instead he chose to make it a memorable one.
"Shaun's a living legend with what he's done already and with what he's going to continue to do and really push this sport to the next level," said the US Olympic snowboarding coach, Mike Jankowski. "It's the all-American way. It's being a pioneer and taking those steps into the unknown."