San Diego Olympian, Shaun White Announces Retirement

Olympian Shaun White announced that the 2022 Winter Games will be his last.

According to FOX5, the 35-year-old Carlsbad native made the announcement on Saturday, February 5.

The ongoing Beijing Olympics will be White's fifth and final appearance at the Winter Games and his last appearance in any competitive event in general.

“In my mind, I think I’ve decided this will be my last competition,” said White during a press conference in Beijing.

He explained that he came to the decision late last year after he got lost on a mountain in Austria while training for the 2022 Winter Games.

“I kind of reflected on things I’ve done and looked at the sun going down and went, ‘Wow, next time I’m here, I won’t be stressed about learning tricks or worried about some competition thing,’” said White.

According to FOX5, the three-time gold medalist also suffered an ankle injury and caught COVID-19 leading up to this year's games.

He still plans to snowboard but says he'd rather continue outside of competition and the limelight, citing urban and backcountry snowboarders.

White will compete at the snowboard halfpipe during qualifying rounds on February 9 before the finals on February 11, reports FOX5.