PARK CITY, Utah — Shaun White put together a nearly flawless run for the second straight night to capture the U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix on Saturday and stake a claim as a heavy Olympic gold medal favorite next month.
White and 2002 gold medalist Kelly Clark will headline the U.S. halfpipe team announced Saturday night.
First-timers Louie Vito and Scotty Lago will join White in Vancouver next month. The 2006 gold and silver medalists, Hannah Teter and Gretchen Bleiler, will join Clark on the women’s team.
White scored a 49.5 during his first run — just a half-point shy of a perfect score — to beat Scotty Lago by 1.5 points and win for the fourth time in five starts this season. Luke Mitrani was third.
Kelly Clark matched White on the women’s side, scoring a 47.4 to beat defending Olympic champion Hannah Teter by 3.5 points. Kaitlyn Farrington finished third.
The United States has dominated the halfpipe since its debut in 1998, including sweeping the men’s medals in 2002.
White, who rose to fame with a thrilling gold medal run in Turin four years ago, is considered a heavy favorite to repeat. He flawlessly pulled off his latest trick — a double McTwist 1260 — for a second straight night and celebrated with a little fist pump at the end of his run.
He even charmed during a rare flub. He caught an edge early in his second run, but jumped up to the rim of the halfpipe, slid over to the netting and slapped hands with fans before finishing off with a couple of throwaway tricks.
White’s Olympic bid was expected, and Vito came in almost assured of a spot thanks to a pair of runner-up finishes earlier in the year.
Lago, however, was a surprise. He surged into contention with a second-place finish on Friday and backed it up on with a dynamic run of 48.0 in snowy conditions.
The trip to the Games is a little bittersweet for the 22-year-old from Seabrook, N.H. Two of Lago’s friends, Kevin Pearce and Danny Davis, will miss the games with injuries.
Pearce remains hospitalized after hitting his head during a practice run last month, while Davis fractured his back and pelvis in a four-wheeler accident a week ago.
Their misfortune opened the door for Lago, and he took advantage by putting together two of the best runs of his career.
Clark can’t match White for star quality — nobody does when compared to snowboarding’s resident rock star — but she brings a ton of experience and a “Big Air” package that few if any women can match.
Clark finished fourth in 2006 at Turin despite a fall in one of her two medal round runs, but has been practically flawless this season while dominating the Grand Prix circuit.
Teter hasn’t been quite as sharp, but put together a solid performance on Saturday, finishing second to White with a score of 43.9.
Bleiler finished seventh on Saturday, opting not to take her second run after banging her head in practice. She’ll be OK.
The United States could add two more halfpipe spots next week when the full snowboard team is announced. Greg Bretz and Luke Mitrani are considered the top men’s candidates while Kaitlyn Farrington and 2006 Olympian Elena Hight could sneak in on the women’s team.
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