Why is Shaun White Hated by Other Snowboarders? Olympic Icon’s Dark Side Explored

Three-time Olympic gold medalist Shaun White is one of the most experienced snowboarders in the world. Time and again, he has shown insane skills, proving he is worthy of the multiple accolades he has received.

White is currently the most decorated snowboarder. Moreover, he also holds the record for other most X games Gold medals. White is also a pro skater, being trained by the legend Tony Hawk.

However, it is interesting to note that the snowboarding committee is actually not that fond of Shaun White. Several of his colleagues have also revealed that White is not exactly friendly with anyone.

He’s apart from everyone, Shaun White as a fierce competitor

Snowboarding is one of the those sports which is known for its “bro” culture. Here, everyone is friends, even with their rivals. They share tricks and skills, practise together. No one likes to brag about medals, and they take it very casually.

However, there is one athlete who is far away from this culture. And that is Shaun White. It’s not common knowledge, but White is actually hated by the snowboarding committee. This is because White is completely focused on his goals, and is always eyeing the medal.

“He’s apart from everyone. He’s the lone wolf. When he goes out there for a contest, he goes out there to win,” said American snowboarder Brandon Davis.

White is someone who does not believe in being friends with rivals or maintaining personal relationships with his fellow athletes. White is also known for snubbing his teammates from a small age.

“The whole snowboarding community doesn’t really like Shaun,” added Davis.

White is among the richest snowboarders and when a special halfpipe was build for him to practise on, White never allowed his fellow athletes to come and practice there. It’s safe to say that Shaun White takes the competition very seriously.

White setting the bar for everyone

However, White is the best snowboarder, and also the most decorated one. There’s no denying that, friendly or not. Sochi 2014 halfpipe gold medalist Iouri Podladtchikov thinks White is actually a motivating factor. It would be pretty stupid to hate someone who performs this well.

Podladtchikov believes that by performing so well, Shaun White has set an unattainable standard for all the others. White is extremely talented and is one of the few snowboarders who can pull off the hardest tricks in the sport.

White is the first snowboarder ever to land back-to-back double corks, at the Red Bull superpipe.

It must be mentioned here that snowboarding is actually one of those friendly sports. Perhaps this is the reason White is considered a lone wolf. Had he been in some other sport, the attitude he has and the dedication towards his sport would have been highly admired by his fellow athletes.

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