By Mari Saito and Winni Zhou
ZHANGJIAKOU, China (Reuters) – Ayumu Hirano of Japan won gold at the men’s snowboard halfpipe final on Friday at the Beijing Games, while American three-time gold medallist Shaun White missed the podium in his fifth and final Olympics.
Hirano, who won silver at the Pyeongchang and Sochi Games came out on top after he landed triple corks, earning him the top score of 96. Australian Scotty James took silver with 92.50 and Swiss Jan Scherrer won bronze with 87.25.
White, who has said this would be his final Olympics and last time competing professionally, finished in fourth place after he clipped the lip of the halfpipe and spoiled his landing in his third run, causing him to slide down the wall feet-first.
In the final, each boarder got three runs, with their ranking determined by their best score.
(Reporting by Mari Saito; editing by Richard Pullin)
