Shaun White Shows Off Skateboarding Skills While Carrying Girlfriend Nina Dobrev

American icon Shaun White turned into a snowboarding phenomenon when he picked up the sport at age six. He won his first competition a year later and kept on winning, crowned as a sensation in the amateur circuit. White became a professional snowboarder at 13, won three Olympic titles, and earned the nickname “Flying Tomato”.

But Shaun White isn’t just a storied snowboarder. He made a name for himself in skateboarding too, entering the circuit in 2003. Tony Hawk befriended the nine-year-old prodigy and became his mentor, helping him turn pro at 16.

Shaun White shows off skateboarding skills with Nina Dobrev

Retiring from competitive snowboarding earlier this year, Shaun White has been enjoying his clear schedule with his girlfriend, actor Nina Dobrev. The two announced their relationship in 2020 and have been ‘couple goals’ ever since.

They have been open about their relationship on Instagram. So it came as no surprise as White posted a video flaunting his skateboarding prowess. The clip shows White carrying Dobrev on piggyback as he skates back and forth on a miniature ramp.

The end of the clip showed him teasing his girlfriend that he’d take it up a notch. He captioned the post, “Next week we start doing airs 🤘🏻”. If he makes good on that promise, it would be quite an experience for the actor. As a champion skateboarder, White is an icon in extreme sports.

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The three-time Olympic champion became a star at the X Games, the only athlete to compete in both the Summer and Winter editions of the competition. His last appearance at the Summer X Games was in 2011 after he had collected two golds, two silvers, and two bronze medals in the vert.

Is White returning to skateboarding?

After 2011, Shaun White devoted himself full-time to snowboarding. When the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo added skateboarding to the lineup, he considered throwing in his hat to qualify for the US team. But as a champion of the vert, the park and street courses planned for the games were not his specialties.

“Park skating is new for me. It’s been difficult to take my tricks from the big ramp and bring it into the bowl,” he said. However, instead of focusing his time on upping his skateboarding skills, White chose to further his snowboarding career. “The decision became less about going for skate and more about, am I willing to walk away from snow?” 

Consequently, he qualified for the Beijing Olympics, where he made the last run of his career on the halfpipe slope. Now retired, it’s less of a possibility that White may be looking at getting back into skateboarding. While there is no sign the Olympics will adopt the vert, it’s within his capabilities to master the apparatus and go for Paris 2024. Clearly, he is not an athlete that can be counted out.

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