COPPER MOUNTAIN, Colo. — Olympic Champions Shaun White and Kelly Clark were killing it as usual Saturday as they landed runs to end first at the Sprint U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix – the first of five Olympic qualification events.
Gretchen Bleiler (Aspen, Colo.) and Louie Vito (Sandy, Utah) took the second spots for men and women, and Zack Black (Breckenridge, Colo.) and Spain’s Quera Castellet were third.
With all eyes of the freezing crowd watching to see if he’d be as perfect as they’d heard, White did not fail to deliver a stellar run.
“It was fantastic. It was a heavy competition. We’re doing tricks that have never been done before. I reckon today was the heaviest run I’ve ever done in a competition,” White said. “I’m just pleased to get through it, get through the weather and be the leader here.”
South Lake Tahoe resident Elijah Teter finished 11th out of 16 finalists.
For White, the win means being able to take a deep breath before he competes in Mammoth.
“I’m ju