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Winter Olympics 2018: Shaun White makes history with third gold medal but sexual misconduct claim tarnishes win

American has become the most successful snowboarder in Olympic history but return to prominence has attracted attention to a sexual misconduct lawsuit filed against him in 2016

In association with

Jack de Menezes

Wednesday 14 February 2018 09:08 GMT

Shaun White won the snowboard halfpipe gold but his win has been overshadowed by a past sexual assault allegation (Getty)

American snowboarder Shaun White cemented his status as the sport’s greatest ever Olympian after winning his third Winter Olympics gold medal in the men’s halfpipe, but his success has been overshadowed by the allegations of sexual misconduct that clouded his preparations leading up to the Pyeongchang Games.

The 31-year-old needed a storming performance in his third and final run to beat Japan’s rising star Ayumu Hirano, and he fell to one knee when his score was announced – confirming that he had regained the gold medal that he lost at Sochi 2014 – before rising to punch the air in celebration.

But the victory has not gone without its controversy. In 2016, White was accused of sexual misconduct by the female former drummer in his rock band Bad Things, Lena Zawaideh, who claimed the extreme sports star had “repeatedly sexually harassed her and forced his authoritarian management style on her for over seven years.”

Winter Olympics 2018: 9 British medal hopefuls to watch

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1/9Winter Olympics 2018: 9 British medal hopefuls to watch

Winter Olympics 2018: 9 British medal hopefuls to watch

Lizzy Yarnold

Lizzy Yarnold won Team GB’s first gold medal of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games after dominating the women's skeleton from start to finish. She hs recently take some time away from the sport before returning with the aim of defending her title at PyeongChang 2018.

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Winter Olympics 2018: 9 British medal hopefuls to watch

Jenny Jones

Jenny Jones set Britain alight with slopestyle fever when she produced a spectacular display at Sochi 2014 to take Olympic bronze. having spent a winter in Tignes as a chalet maid, she took up snowboarding, quickly winning everything she entered, included three Winter X Games golds between 2009 and 2010.

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Winter Olympics 2018: 9 British medal hopefuls to watch

Jamie Nicholls

Jamie Nicholls became the first British male snowboarder to win a World Cup event in 2016. The Bradford-born athlete took up the sport aged seven at Halifax Ski and Snowboard centre, but by the age of 13 he was already considered one of the best UK snowboarders. At the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, Nicholls finished sixth overall.

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Winter Olympics 2018: 9 British medal hopefuls to watch

James Woods

James Woods won five consecutive British National Championships in slopestyle between 2007 and 2011. Woods suffered a hip injury in training for the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games, but finished a remarkable fifth in the slopestyle. After winning the Big Air competition to take a first ever Winter X Games gold medal in 2017, the Brit went on to take Winter X Games Europe bronze in slopestyle before repeating the feat at the World Championships a week later.

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Winter Olympics 2018: 9 British medal hopefuls to watch

Elise Christie

Elise Christie was born in Livingston and moved to Nottingham when she was 15 in order to pursue her sporting dream. After representing Great Britain at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, Christie enjoyed the most successful season ever by a British female short track speed skater in 2012/13 - finishing the campaign ranked top in the 1000m world rankings, with two European gold medals to her name. Following three disqualifications at Sochi 2014, the 12-time World medallist will be confident of improving on her previous Olympic best result of 11th in the 500m at Vancouver 2010.

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Winter Olympics 2018: 9 British medal hopefuls to watch

Eve Muirhead

Eve Muirhead became the youngest ever skip to win a Winter Olympic medal when she guided Team GB to bronze at Sochi 2014 in what was her second Winter Olympic appearance. A four-time world junior champion, Muirhead has won multiple European and World senior medals – including a second gold at the 2017 European Championships – and will once again skip Team GB’s women’s curling rink in PyeongChang.

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Winter Olympics 2018: 9 British medal hopefuls to watch

Dave Ryding

Dave Ryding shocked the alpine skiing world when he claimed Britain’s first World Cup skiing podium for 36 years with slalom silver in Kitzbuhel in January 2017. The man from Bretherton had almost made another trip to the podium in Stockholm in the parallel slalom, but finished an agonising fourth, just 0.06 seconds off a bronze medal. Ryding competed at the Vancouver and Sochi Olympic Winter Games, finishing 17th in the slalom in Russia, and achieved his highest World Championship placing in 2017 when he came 11th.

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Winter Olympics 2018: 9 British medal hopefuls to watch

Charlotte Gilmartin

Charlotte Gilmartin began competing as a junior speed skater for Great Britain aged just 15, before rising through the ranks to regularly compete on the world stage. In January 2016, Gilmartin won 3000m gold and overall silver at the European Championships and added 500m bronze a year later.

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Winter Olympics 2018: 9 British medal hopefuls to watch

Andrew Musgrave

Andrew Musgrave’s first outing at the Olympic Winter Games came at Vancouver 2010 where he finished 51st in the 15km + 15km double pursuit, 55th in the 15km freestyle race and 58th in the individual sprint. In 2014, he competed in his second Olympic Winter Games in Sochi where he qualified 27th for the individual sprint before finishing 44th in the 15km classical and 53rd in the 50km freestyle. The Dorset-born athlete finished fourth in the 50km freestyle at the 2017 World Championships – a higher placing than any previously achieved by a British Nordic skier.

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His return to prominence in Pyeongchang has seen various US media outlets highlight the previous lawsuit and question why White has not been subjected to questions while competing at the Olympics, especially in the wake of the '#MeToo' campaign against sexual harassment, violence and abuse of power from men in high-ranking positions.

In a lawsuit that Ms Zawaideh filed in August 2016, White was accused of sending “sexually explicit and graphic images to Ms Zawaideh of engorged and erect penises, forced her to watch sexually disturbing videos, including videos sexualising human faecal matter, and made vulgar sexual remarks to her”.

White and Ms Zawaideh have not responded to requests for comment, but the snowboarder’s lawyer has previously claimed that the allegations made by Ms Zawaideh lacked merit, and an out-of-court settlement was reached between the two in May 2017.

In a statement issued through his lawyer at the time, White acknowledged he exchanged texts with Zawaideh but called the lawsuit “bogus”.

White recorded a score of 97.75 with his final run to win gold (Getty)

There have not been any questions put to White about the allegations since his arrival in Pyeongchang, and instead the focus has been on his road to redemption on an Olympic level after his attempt in 2014 to double-up with the slopestyle snowboarding competition – only to leave Russia without a medal.

Needing a big score to overhaul 19-year-old Hirano, the reigning silver medallist in the halfpipe, White recorded a run of 97.75 to snatch gold and become the most successful Olympic snowboarder in history, having pulled off back-to-back 1440s for the first time ever seen.

“I have done when I really needed to, I have delivered when I needed to most,” White said afterwards. “I am so proud of myself, and I never say that.”

He later added: “I was so upset with my performance in Sochi and I had to wait so long for this Olympics. There have been so many ups and downs in the process.”

White pulled off back-to-back 1440s to clinch the victory (Getty)

White also confirmed that he currently plans to try and defend his title at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, but also fancies a shot at the skateboarding gold medal at the 2020 Toyko Summer Olympic Games.

Upon winning the gold medal, White embraced his fellow American Jarret “JJ” Thomas, who claimed the bronze medal back at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, and has taken up coaching White following his retirement.

White celebrates his victory as the scores are read out (Getty)

With Hirano second, White’s long-time Australian rival Scotty James had to make do with a bronze medal, but having questioned the apparent favourable scoring that he believed White received before The Games, he was quick to pay tribute to his adversary.

“Myself and Shaun have definitely had a good rivalry and we’ve brought the best out of each other,” said James. “That can be overwhelming for sure – you’re looking at a guy who has achieved a lot of amazing things in his career, so credit to him.”

White (centre) beat Ayumu Hirano (left) and Scotty James (right) to claim victory (Getty)

Having taken the lead after the second runs with a score of 95.25 only to be overtaken, Hirano added: “Right after my second run I knew what Shaun was going to do next. Even though he had a lot of pressure on him, he was able to do it and it was very good. I think his tricks were so cool, and I think it was wonderful.”