In 2014, the world was in shock when Shaun White didn’t win gold at the Sochi Olympics. Then in 2018, he had the comeback of all comebacks as he secured his third gold medal on his final run. As you can probably imagine, the lead up to this monumental moment was stressful and full of pressure. However, in the legendary snowboarder’s docuseries on the 2023 TV schedule, Shaun White: The Last Run, he revealed a sweet and wholesome interaction that helped him get some of his mojo back which ultimately helped lead him to his big win in Pyeongchang.
In the scene from Shaun White: The Last Run, White, his coach J.J. Thomas and his friend and fellow snowboarder Toby Miller traveled to Calgary, Canada to train for the Pyeongchang Olympics. This trip happened 13 months before the games, between him losing the medal in Sochi and a major injury he suffered while training in New Zealand. The pressure was high for him to come back stronger, and White noted that “everything is hinging on the Olympics.”
The three men stood on top of the half-pipe, and stressed about him throwing this massive trick called the YOLO Flip, and then you can hear a little boy say “Wait, is that Shaun White?” Thomas called the moment “amazing,” and in the actual scene he prompted the kids to go say hi to the Olympian and hype him up.
Then White went to greet the five little kids, and asked them if they’d been having fun. That question was followed by:
You guys want to see something cool?
As the snowboarder climbed back up the pipe, the kids were shown sitting at the bottom, holding each other and screaming about how “awesome” it was that they met Shaun White. Then they started screaming his name and the run began.
Not only did White hit the YOLO flip, he nailed it, and he celebrated with his newfound pals at the bottom. Even though his other friend, Miller, fell on the run before, the vibes were high, and this felt like a major turning point in the docuseries following the disappointing loss.
As someone who has been following this athlete since I was five, I could relate wholeheartedly to these kiddos’ enthusiasm, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t get emotional over this moment in the docuseries.
Over the course of four episodes, White, his team and his family go through the biggest moments of his incredible career. It becomes abundantly clear, especially after he lost gold in Sochi, that the mental aspect of the game and all the pressure put on him to succeed was really taking a toll. So, in Episode 3 when they show the athlete nailing a really difficult trick exactly when he’s in desperate need of a confidence boost, I couldn't help but clap and feel proud.
White also did a fantastic job of putting the challenges of these tricks into perspective, which made this moment with the kids even sweeter. He said:
Just because you’ve done a trick, doesn't mean that you have it, you know? And you have to work at it. It’s kind of like a golf swing, it could be there for you one day, and the next it’s just gone. I hadn’t done the YOLO or the double 1440 probably since the last Olympics.
Adding all these elements together, seeing the little ones cheering him on, and knowing that he goes on to win the gold medal at the 2018 Olympics made this scene one of the most surprisingly wholesome moments of the docuseries. On top of that, it also made White’s winning run from the games all the more sweet.
Overall, this was just one of many heart-racing and exciting moments in Shaun White’s docuseries. Like many great sports movies and documentaries, The Last Run shows the ups and downs of this snowboarder's iconic career from his first time on the slopes to his final run at the Olympics. Personally, I think the best moments were these little spontaneous instances, like the one with the kids. They really made the story and truly showed just how great this Olympian is.
To see this wholesome moment between Shaun White and the young snowboarders as well as the rest of the documentary about his long career, you can stream The Last Run with a Max subscription.
