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American snowboarder Shaun White considers his disappointing performance in the Olympic halfpipe a setback, but not necessarily an end to an extraordinary career, he said Wednesday on TODAY.
White went for a historic third consecutive Olympic gold medal in the halfpipe but came up short, placing fourth Tuesday and losing the title to Switzerland's Iouri Podladtchikov. However, his qualifying run just before the event earned him the highest score among competitors - high enough to have clinched a spot on top of the podium if he repeated it in the finals.
"I thought about it plenty of times, just countless, running it through my head what I could have done," he said. "I'm happy, though. I move on from here. I don't think it makes or breaks my career this one night, but definitely a disappointment."
White, 27, is not used to defeat and he said the pain he feels reminded him of when he started out in the sport.
"I've dealt with this a lot when I was younger, just coming up in the ranks of the sport," he said. "It feels like old times I guess, but I've learned a lot from it."
White called it a "tough night for everyone." None of the two other American snowboarders who competed received medals - coming in 10th and last at 12th - but White said he appreciates the experience of being an Olympian who simply made it to the finals.
He had hoped to pull out a top trick, the frontside triple cork 1440, to secure a medal but he never made it that far.
"I didn't make it to that trick, which was even more disappointing," he said. "Normally if I lay down a run and I'm beaten, I'm okay with it. I put my best effort out and that's okay. This is so disappointing for me because I didn't get that chance, I didn't get that opportunity."
White said he felt more pressure than usual competing for his third gold meal. He came to the Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, t o compete in two events only to walk away empty handed.
"I pulled out of slopestyle, which was something I really, really wanted to compete in. I still stick by my decision to do that. I needed extra practice for the half pipe," he said.
White also said a tweet he sent to fans before his competition wasn't a hint at his retirement. Instead it was a message of appreciation for their support.
"It's been such a journey to make it this far. I just wanted to thank everyone who supported me and wish me luck and I needed it," he said.
White will be 31 by the time the 2018 Winter Games take place in South Korea. Asked whether he would consider coming back for another run at gold and go out on top, White said
"I think so," he said as the crowd behind him erupted in cheers. White then turned to face his fans.
"I need everybody now more than ever so, yeah, thank you guys," he said.
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