Popularly acclaimed as the flying tomato in most, Shaun White is an American snowboarder, skateboarder, and musician. He has one of the highest winning records as an Olympian, including many gold and bronze medals. Through his years as a standout athlete, he tried hard and apparently built a successful career. Here’s everything you should know about the athlete.
Shaun White Biography (Age)
Born on September 3, 1986 in San Diego, California, Shaun White was given the full name Shaun Roger White. However, his career name – the flying tomato – supersedes other of his names. Throughout his years he has built a successful career as a professional snowboarder, skateboarder and musician.
White was born with congenital heart disease, and as a result, he underwent two open-heart surgeries just before his first birthday. These surgeries did not affect his abilities as a child. Sources state that he improved his skills as a skater during his childhood. He often rode Okemo Mountain and Bear Mountain. Due to his ethnicity, he is of Irish and Italian descent.
He’s been practicing since he was a kid, scooped his first skating award at age six and by the time he was 13 he was already a registered member of the amateur circuit and had over three national titles to his name. Shaun White grew up with success syndrome and when he made his first Winter X game he picked up five slopestyle and superpipe titles.
With the rate at which his career was increasing, he decided to join the United States team for the 2002 Winter Olympics, unfortunately failing to qualify. Undeterred, he reigned supreme throughout his stint in the professional circuit and went on to qualify for the 2006 Torino Winter Olympics, where he won all the prizes in the Grand Prix events.
The 2009 Olympic game was quite controversial as Kevin Pearce and Shaun White performed almost the same tricks during the event. Still, Pearce scored 5 hits in the pipe while White scored 6 hits. After much critical analysis by the jury, the flying tomato emerged as the winner. This win earned him his second gold medal and became the second person after Tanner Hall to win a gold medal in a superpipe. That’s not all, he also won a gold medal in slopestyle.
The flying tomato won the FIS World Cup men’s halfpipe event at Vancouver’s Cypress Mountain, but unfortunately also with a thumb injury. In 2010 he defended his halfpipe title at the Winter Games and won a gold medal. At the same time, he introduced an amazing new trick involving two flips while completing a twist and a half. The following years were filled with many wins, but 2014 was much more challenging as Shaun White finished fourth that year.
Besides his snowboarding career, he is also one of the best skateboarders in history. His athletic ability and charisma have also earned him several offers of support. Shaun White then released a snowboard video titled The White Album in 2004 and was the main character in the documentary about snowboarders, First Descent .
Shaun White is also an actor and singer. He made his acting debut in the film Friends with Benefits and appeared in the 2013 episode of American Dad as well as Cloud 9 . As a singer, White is a guitarist with the band Bad Things.
Wealth (income and earnings)
The flying tomato has apparently worked hard, achieved a smiling career. During his career he has won many gold medals and bronze. With a net worth of $40 million, he is considered one of the richest Olympians in history.
Is Shaun White married who is the wife or girlfriend?
It’s quite uncertain to determine if Shaun White finally walked his longtime girlfriend Sarah Barthel down the aisle as there are no records to prove it. The two have been partners since 2013. They first met on the set of Saturday Nightlife after visiting a mutual friend who was working on the show. The two subsequently fell in love and decided to mold their feelings into a relationship. Both belong to an electro rock group called Phantogram. Shaun White and Sarah Barthel are staying at their home in Los Angeles.