Shaun White Wins Gold Medal In Halfpipe At Winter Olympics 2018, Slammed For Dragging Flag On Snow

Shaun White won his third Olympic gold medal in Pyeongchang on Tuesday after dominating the men’s halfpipe competition, although he drew ire from some viewers following his victory.

Shaun White 2018 Winter Olympics Gold Medal Win

The 31-year-old snowboarder earned a 96.75 in his third run to beat Japan’s Ayumu Hirano by 2.50 points. However, White upset some fans who said he disrespected the flag by dragging it on the snow after winning the competition.

“No respect for the flag dragging it on the ground,” tweeted one person, who identified himself as a U.S. Marine.

“Shaun White just broke the flag code like six times,” wrote another Twitter user.

White even accidentally stepped on the flag at one point.

“Congrats @shaunwhite — Now can you stop dragging our flag on the ground and stepping on it, please? Show some respect,” a third user demanded.

White is the first snowboarder in Olympic history with three gold medals, and with his win on Tuesday secured the 100th U.S. gold medal in Winter Olympics history.

The veteran Olympian — who first competed at the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, Italy — reportedly said he didn’t know you’re not supposed to let the banner touch the ground. He apologized for his misstep after the incident.

“I remember being handed the flag. I was trying to put my gloves on and hold the flag and the board,” White said. “ I definitely didn’t mean any disrespect… Sorry for that. But I’m definitely proud — very proud — to be part of Team USA and being an American and to be representing for everyone back home.”

White won the Olympic gold medal in 2006 and in 2010 in Vancouver. At the Sochi Games in 2014, he finished fourth in the men’s halfpipe. He also withdrew from the men’s slope-style event just two days before the opening ceremony.

The San Diego, California native — nicknamed the Flying Tomato — also apologized for another incident that many famous men have been accused of in recent months: a sexual harassment case.

Lena Zawaideh, the former drummer of White’s rock band Bad Things, alleged in a 2016 lawsuit that the Olympian texted her multiple lewd photos that included male genitals, as well as several sexual videos, one of which was described as “hardcore porn.”

Zawaideh also claimed White forced her to drink vodka, pressured her to change her wardrobe and put his hands down his pants and then shoved them in her face. The former drummer said White was particularly aggressive with her every since he lost at the Sochi Olympics.

White admitted to sending the text messages but denied the other allegations. He refused to answer questions about the lawsuit, and dismissed the claims as “gossip,” but then apologized.

The snowboarder addressed the allegations on NBC’s Today Show with Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb on Wednesday morning:

Article by Pablo Mena

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