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Shaun White all but guarantees trip to fifth Olympics with third-place finish at Laax Open

By Adam Stites | Last updated Jan 15, 2022 3:25 PM ET

Shaun White finished third place in the halfpipe snowboarding final at the Laax Open in Switzerland on Saturday, which likely means he'll be a member of the U.S. Olympic team for the fifth time.

White, 35, finished behind Japan's Ayumu Hirano and Switzerland's Jan Scherrer, respectively, after landing back-to-back 1080s and a double McTwist 1260 on his opening run.

Shaun White lands on the podium!@shaunwhite finishes in third place in the men's halfpipe final at the #LaaxOpen. pic.twitter.com/z2REQjENKQ
— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) January 15, 2022

The result "virtual guarantees" White a spot on the Olympic roster, according to ESPN, as he entered the competition as the fourth-ranked American on the World Snowboard Points List in the halfpipe and climbed to second with his Laax Open finish.

The U.S. team will be announced next week with four to be selected for the men's halfpipe.

White won gold in the halfpipe at the 2006, 2010 and 2018 Olympic Games. In 2014, White narrowly missed out on a medal, finishing fourth in the event.

Adam Stites

Adam Stites is a Southern California native who lives in a new state every three months. He’s perennially disappointed by both the Jacksonville Jaguars and Arizona State Sun Devils. His dog is named Ramsey after the best cornerback in the NFL

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