“I Want to Accomplish More”: Olympic Gold Medalist Ayumu Hirano Aims to Dethrone Shaun White at the Helm

This year’s Beijing Winter Olympics saw Shaun White appearing in his last Olympic Games. The legend of snowboarding bid goodbye to the snowboarding fraternity. Despite not being able to win in his final Olympics appearance, he displayed his legacy in a fantastic second-run in the final. Out of all the competitors, there was one who stood apart. Ayumu Hirano won his first-ever gold medal in the competition as it was a symbolic passing of the torch victory.

Obviously, winning medals in snowboarding leads to comparisons to the great Shaun White. But, Hirano wants to stand out for himself and forge a successful career, hereafter.

Ayumu Hirano on comparisons with Shaun White

While Shaun White won three Olympic gold medals, Hirano finished second in two of those competitions back at the 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics. Determined to make amends, he started training hard to reach his promised land. He was the first person to land the triple cork in the half-pipe competition in 2021. From there, it was an upward trajectory. With comparisons to the legendary White, Hirano wants to go past him and achieve greatness.

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I don’t feel (the responsibility). I know a lot of people think so, but I try not to be influenced by that. People expect me to be, but I want to be myself. I want to accomplish more than Shaun. If I don’t have my own goals and my own style then I’ll be compared to Shaun and keep competing against him in some way – I don’t like that. While I respect him the way he challenges himself, I want to be different from him,” said Hirano.

From being an Olympic gold medalist, the stage will be set for him to start dominating the competitions.

A stunning performance in Beijing

The tricks he showcased at the Beijing Winter Olympics were incredible. His landings were clean from sophisticated tricks he showcased during the event. Ranking in second place until his final run, he produced one of the greatest performances in half-pipe competition history in Beijing. With a score of 96.00, he won the gold medal in White’s last snowboarding competition.

To be able to succeed White is a dream in itself. However, Ayumu Hirano is on his way to greatness. Perfection is his mantra as he wants to become one of the best snowboarders in the history of the sport.

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