Winter Olympics 2018: Shaun White wins US its 100th winter games gold

Snowboarder claims his third Olympic gold medal

Shaun White warms up ahead of the Snowboard Men's Halfpipe Qualification at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games (Clive Rose/Getty Image)

American snowboarder Shaun White has won the gold medal in the men’s halfpipe at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, claiming his third-ever Olympic gold and the US’s 100th.

The 31-year-old – who was the top qualifier for the event – beat out Ayumu Hirano for first place in his third run, after trailing the Japanese athlete for the first two rounds. He pulled off two back-to-back 1440-degree spins and finished with a winning score of 97.75.

Australia’s Scotty James took home the bronze.

The win made Mr White – nicknamed “The Flying Tomato” for his distinctive red hair –the first American male to win gold at three separate Winter Games. He ranks third in the history of American winter gold winners, behind speedskaters Bonnie Blair and Eric Heiden, who each have five.

The snowboarder attempted to go for the three-peat four years ago, at the Sochi games, but injured himself in the slopestyle and fell on his final run in the halfpipe. He told reporters at the time that he felt like he was “burning out”.

"It's like if you've ever been in a relationship and someone is like, they love you. I wish I could flip a switch and love you back – love snowboarding like I did when I was seven,” he said.

The San Diego native injured himself again in October, running into the lip of the halfpipe while training in New Zealand. He needed 62 stitches to his head and face. But the athlete persevered, and pulled off a stunning final run on Tuesday in PyeongChang.

Mr White’s victory also marked the US’s 100th gold medal in the Winter Olympics, and the country’s fifth this year. American Chloe Kim took home the gold in the women’s halfpipe the day before, and teammate Jamie Anderson took first place in the women's snowboard slopestyle.