Shaun White Wins Gold Amid Renewed Focus On Sexual Harrassment Allegations

Shaun White’s gold-medal-winning run in the men’s halfpipe event on Tuesday night provided perhaps the biggest superstar moment of the Pyeongchang Olympics so far. Medal-winning performances by snowboarder Chloe Kim on Monday and figure skaters Adam Rippon and Mirai Nagasu on Sunday were spectacular, of course, but Shaun White has been the face of the American contingent at the Winter Olympics since the Torino games in 2006. And with his back against the wall going into his third and final run last night, White delivered on what the commentators called “the biggest run of his life.”

But even amid White’s gold-medal triumph, past allegations hang over his head. In 2016, Lena Zawaideh, the drummer from White’s rock band, filed a lawsuit against him for sexual harassment. The suit claimed that White harassed her repeatedly, forcing her to watch pornographic movies, and sending her lewd text messages. The lawsuit was settled in May for an undisclosed amount and no wrongdoing was admitted, the AP reported.

In the immediate aftermath of the halfpipe event, White brushed off questions about the lawsuit as “gossip.”

This morning, on the Today show, White was singing a different tune, apologizing for the “gossip” comment and stressing how much of a changed man he is today.

“I’m truly sorry that I chose the word ‘gossip.’ It was a poor choice of words to describe such a sensitive subject in the world today,” White said. “I’m just truly sorry. I was just so overwhelmed with just wanting to talk about how amazing today was and share my experience.” White added, “I’ve grown as a person over the years. It’s amazing how life works, and twists and turns and lessons learned. Every experience in my life has taught me a lesson, and I definitely feel like I’m a much more changed person than I was when I was younger. I’m proud of who I am today.”

After a disappointing 4th-place finish at the Sochi games in 2014, White’s return to the gold-medal podium makes it three gold medals in the men’s half-pipe (Torino in 2006 and Vancouver in 2010), and continues the American run of dominance in the snowboarding event. Entering that final run, White had fallen to silver-medal position, behind 19-year-old Japanese snowboarder Ayumu Hirano. But with a final run that tore off back-to-back 1440 spins (four complete rotations), White knew he had himself in position to win. He shot his arms into the air as he finished, and then when his first-place score was announced he immediately burst into triumphant tears.