Shaun White

The Closing Ceremony for the 2022 Winter Olympics took place Sunday at China's National Stadium in Beijing, bringing an end to the 24th Winter Games.

Although lacking the over-the-top pageantry of the Opening Ceremony, the Olympics' final event still featured displays of Chinese culture along with a Parade of Nations that saw all of the athletes enter the stadium together rather than separately like when the Games began.

The ceremony also featured the traditional passing of the Olympic flag, as China handed over hosting duties to Italy ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach were among those on hand. The United States engaged in a diplomatic boycott of the Games while still allowing its athletes to compete.

The Olympic competitions wrapped up earlier Sunday in Beijing with Finland capturing the final gold medal with its triumph over the Russian Olympic Committee in men's ice hockey.

Norway dominated the medal table at the Games by capturing both the most gold medals and the most total medals over the past 18 days. Here's a look at the leaders in golds:

• 1. Norway: 16
• 2. Germany: 12
• 3. China: 9
• T-4. United States: 8
• T-4. Sweden: 8
• T-4: Netherlands: 8

And the top countries in total medals:

• 1. Norway: 37
• 2. ROC: 32
• 3. Germany: 27
• 4. Canada: 26
• 5. United States: 25

It's the second straight time Norway sat atop the overall medal table after finishing with 39 medals at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.

In all, 109 medal events were held across 15 different disciplines since play began Feb. 2. The Opening Ceremony was officially held Feb. 4.

From an American perspective, the standout performers included figure skater Nathan Chen, who won gold in the men's individual competition, snowboarder Chloe Kim, who dominated the women's halfpipe for the second straight Olympics, and speed skater Erin Jackson, the winner of the women's 500 meters.

The Games also brought an end to the decorated career of snowboarder Shaun White, who won the men's halfpipe three times at the Olympics, most recently in 2018. He finished fourth in the event this year before an emotional send-off.

Next up on the Olympic schedule are the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, which will come just three years after the most recent Summer Games since the 2020 Tokyo Olympics were delayed until 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

After Paris, the focus will shift toward the 2026 Winter Games in Italy as Europe hosts the next two Olympics after three straight in Asia.

Three-time Olympic gold medalist Shaun White posted a farewell message Friday after his decorated career ended last week at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

White, 35, retired following the men's halfpipe at the Beijing Games, where he finished just off the podium in fourth place. In addition to his Olympic snowboarding success, he also captured 15 X Games gold medals between snowboarding and skateboarding.

The San Diego native captured his first Olympic gold medal in the halfpipe at the 2006 Torino Games. He repeated the feat in 2010 and 2018.

His final Olympic run couldn't deliver a storybook ending as he fell while attempting his second trick, but the other competitors met him at the bottom of the run to congratulate him.

White got emotional during an interview with NBC's Randy Moss while saying goodbye to the sport:

His first X Games gold medal came in 2003 when he won the superpipe competition. He claimed the top spot on the podium in a skateboarding event at the X Games for the first time in 2007 in the vert.

Although his days as an active competitor are over, he's still planning to remain heavily involved in extreme sports through his company, Whitespace, and as a mentor to the next generation.

He told Rachel Axon of USA Today there's a good chance he'll be at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy in that new capacity.

"I don't want to beat these guys anymore. I want to sponsor them," White said. "Not to sign them or whatever, but to help their career, to help guide and my experiences and what I've learned. Even Scotty [James] and I were joking, and he was like, 'I think I'm going again.' I would be honored to get that phone call from whoever to support and be a part of this sport in any way that's given me so much."

White along with legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk, who he named in his farewell message as a "role model," have been the faces of extreme sports for the past few decades.

Now it's time for others, including Beijing gold medalists Chloe Kim and Ayumu Hirano, to carry the competitive torch into the future.

Ayumu Hirano probably deserved to win the gold medal in the men's halfpipe event at the Beijing Games on Thursday after his second run, landing the first triple cork in the history of the event, but the judges saw things differently. 

So the Japanese star, trying to catch Australia's Scotty James, went even more massive on his final run. 

This time, the judges left no doubt, giving him a score of 96.00 that was good enough to earn the two-time silver medalist his first gold in the event. James (92.50) took silver and Switzerland's Jan Scherrer (85.00) claimed bronze. 

One of the big stories on the night was Shaun White, in his final Games. The three-time gold medalist and defending champion in the event finished fourth with a score of 85.00, tantalizing close to earning his fourth medal in the event. 

Taylor Gold (81.75) and Chase Josey (79.50) of the United States finished fifth and seventh, respectively.

But Hirano was the biggest story on the night, for more than one reason. His second run was absolutely massive, and caused an uproar when it didn't place him above James. 

All's well that ends well. Hirano got his gold, even if it took him one more run than expected. 

He wasn't the only Hirano to make Olympic history—Kaishu Hirano set a world record with some absolutely massive air:

Quite the night for the family. 

After a thrilling Olympic women's snowboard halfpipe final earlier this week, it's now the men's turn.

In the women's final, Chloe Kim became the first woman to win back-to-back Olympic snowboard halfpipe gold medals. On the men's side, of course, American Shaun White did it at the Torino 2006 and Vancouver 2010 Games, and he was the halfpipe Olympic gold medalist at the Pyeongchang 2018 Games.

However, the 35-year-old isn't favored to win gold again at Beijing 2022. In fact, no Americans are. There's a high likelihood the men's halfpipe final could see a Japanese sweep of the podium, and the rider best suited to prevent that from happening is Australia's Scotty James.

Still, anything can happen in the final; a fall from a heavy favorite can open up the field to anyone who can put down a high-scoring clean run.

Let's take a closer look at the 12 riders who advanced to the final from qualifiers and who to watch when the action goes down Thursday night (Friday morning in China).

Men's Halfpipe Final Start List

1. Chase Josey, United States

2. Patrick Burgener, Switzerland 

3. Andre Hoeflich, Germany 

4. Kaishu Hirano, Japan

5. Jan Scherrer, Switzerland

6. Taylor Gold, United States

7. Yuto Totsuka, Japan

8. Valentino Guseli, Australia 

9. Shaun White, United States

10. Ruka Hirano, Japan

11. Scotty James, Australia 

12. Ayumu Hirano, Japan 

Men's Halfpipe Final Odds

Ayumu Hirano +150

Scotty James +250

Shaun White +500

Yuto Totsuka +850

Men's Halfpipe Schedule

Date: Thursday, Feb. 10

Time: 8:30 p.m. ET 

TV: NBC

Live Stream: NBCOlympics.com, Peacock

No one seemed to tell the men's halfpipe riders that Tuesday night's event was just a qualifier.

We saw some extremely heavy riding from the field of 25 snowboarders representing 12 nations. Ayumu Hirano started his second run with back-to-back double cork 1440s (four full rotations, two off-axis flips), while broadcasters initially thought James ended his second run with a frontside double 1620 tailgrab, but the official results analysis scored it as a 1440.

The level of riding was so high that, initially, White looked to be in trouble. After catching his heel edge and falling on his first run, the pressure was on for his second run. He was sitting in 19th place, well outside the top-12 cutoff.

But the American put down a clean second run that included a frontside double 1080, cab double 1080 melon grab, frontside 540, Double McTwist 1260 Weddle grab (his signature trick) and frontside double 1260 to qualify in fourth place.

Unlike in the women's final, where Kim was the only American to advance, there are three Americans in the men's halfpipe final: Taylor Gold, White and Chase Josey. The fourth member of the U.S. snowboard halfpipe team, Lucas Foster, did not advance to the final.

However, the three remaining Americans will have their work cut out for them to earn a spot on the podium. Totsuka is ranked No. 1 in the world and has duked it out with White, James and Ayumu Hirano over the years for halfpipe supremacy.

James is coming off a halfpipe gold at X Games Aspen in January. Hirano won the contest before that, the Laax Open. White didn't compete at X Games and finished third at the Laax Open.

But Ayumu Hirano, Ruka Hirano and Totsuka have a trick up their sleeve that, if they can incorporate it cleanly into a run, is sure to contend for gold. It's the triple cork, which hadn't been done in competition until this year, when Ayumu Hirano landed it at Dew Tour as part of a 1440. He landed it again at X Games, but both times he fell when attempting his next trick.

Ruka Hirano and Totsuka landed the trick at training camp in Saas-Fee, Switzerland, this fall. James seems to have the trick in his bag as well after spending time training at a private halfpipe in Europe this past year. White has suggested he has it, too, but he hasn't landed it that anyone knows of.

The men's halfpipe final promises to showcase some of the wildest progression snowboarding has seen. Be sure to tune in at 8:30 p.m. ET Thursday.

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If Tuesday's qualification runs were any indication, Japan's Ayumu Hirano will be the one to beat in the men's snowboard halfpipe at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

Hirano paced the field with a score of 93.25, which put him safely into Thursday's final. Each of the 25 competitors were scheduled for two runs in qualifications with the best single score counting, and the top 12 advanced to the three-run final where their qualification scores will not carry over.

Here is a look at the 12 qualifying scores, per the Olympics' official website:

1. Ayumu Hirano (JPN), 93.25
2. Scotty James (AUS), 91.25
3. Ruka Hirano (JPN), 87.00
4. Shaun White (USA), 86.25
5. Valentino Guseli (AUS), 85.75
6. Yuto Totsuka (JPN), 84.50
7. Taylor Gold (USA), 83.50
8. Jan Scherrer (SUI), 79.25
9. Kaishu Hirano (JPN), 77.25
10. Andre Hoeflich (GER), 75.00
11. Patrick Burgener (SUI), 73.00
12. Chase Josey (USA), 69.50

The biggest storyline coming into the event, at least from an American perspective, was the presence of 35-year-old Shaun White. Not only did he become the event's oldest men's competitor in Olympic history by participating, but he also did so with the knowledge this will be the last-ever Olympic Games of his legendary career.

"This has all had its amazing glow to every single decision and every single competition because I've decided this will be my last Olympics," White told reporters.

A major difference this time around is the reality he was not the favorite despite taking home the gold medal at the 2006, 2010 and 2018 Games.

That is a testament to a loaded field that includes reigning X Games champion Scotty James of Australia and Japan's talented trio of Ayumu Hirano, Yuto Totsuka and Ruka Hirano. Ayumu Hirano has won the last two Olympic silver medals.

White's four biggest challengers followed the script during the first run and were all in the top five, with James leading the way.

However, the pressure was firmly on the American star, who fell during his first run and needed a solid second attempt just to qualify for the final in his last Olympics.

As if there wasn't enough pressure on him, Ayumu Hirano, Ruka Hirano and James all improved on their scores in the second run—with the latter busting out a frontside 1620 tail grab—underscoring just how loaded the field is in Beijing.

Yet White, as he has so many times throughout his legendary career, came through in the clutch with an impressive run that included a frontside double-cork 1080 and a double McTwist 1260.

While it wasn't good enough to beat Ayumu Hirano, James or Ruka Hirano, it set the stage for what promises to be a memorable final.

The 2022 Olympics will mark the end of Shaun White's Olympic snowboard career. 

White told reporters on Saturday he will retire after the Beijing Games:

"This has all had its amazing glow as I've decided this will be my last Olympics," White said. "I've given it my all, there have been some ups and downs on the way to get here. And with that I feel I've got stronger and better. I'm just so excited about everything. Opening ceremony was incredible. The venue looks incredible. I'm just enjoying every single moment."

White has previously teased that Beijing would be the end of his Olympic career. He told Today in December that this would probably be "my last run."

During his press conference on Saturday, White said there are some knee, ankle and back issues he's been dealing with that led him to make this decision late last year. 

"They were taking away from days in practice, and I was watching the tricks getting heavier and heavier. I was riding down from the halfpipe in Austria, and I got lost, and I had to take this chair back up. And on that chairlift ride, the mountain was closing and I was on my own and I was watching the sun go down, and it hit me: this is it. It was a surreal moment, but very joyous as I watched the sun go down and reflected."

The 35-year-old is taking part in his fifth consecutive Olympics. He made his debut at the Games in 2006. 

White has won gold medals three times, in 2006, 2010 and 2018. He is the only snowboarder in Olympic history with at least three gold medals. The California native also holds the X Games record for most gold medals (15, including 13 in snowboarding). 

He was named to Team USA for the Olympics despite not being able to take part in the U.S. Grand Prix finals last month because of an ankle injury. 

White is scheduled to take part in the men's halfpipe. Qualifying will take place on Feb. 9, followed by the finals on Feb. 11.     

On Friday, the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympics will officially kick off the Games, though competition will begin Wednesday with the first matches of the curling event. 

From the opening ceremony to the closing ceremony on Feb. 20, the Olympics will see events in 15 disciplines across seven sports: biathlon, bobsledding, curling, ice hockey, luge, skating (figure skating and speed skating) and skiing (snowboarding and ski jumping).

There are a record 109 medals up for grabs at the Beijing 2022 Games, seven more than there were at Pyeongchang 2018. Beijing will also become the only city to have hosted both a Summer (2008) and Winter Games. 

How many of those medals will be claimed by U.S. athletes? Which nation will be the most successful? Let's preview the Games, including medal predictions and athletes to watch. 

2022 Beijing Olympics

Dates: Feb. 2-20

TV: NBC, USA Network

Live Stream: Peacock

Schedule: Full broadcast schedule available at NBCOlympics.com

There are plenty of big-name U.S. athletes to watch in Beijing. There are 92 returning Americans, and four of them are competing in their fifth Games: Shaun White in halfpipe snowboarding, Lindsey Jacobellis in snowboard cross, Katie Uhlaender in skeleton and John Shuster in curling.

Eight more U.S. Olympians are competing for the fourth time: Elana Meyers Taylor and Kaillie Humphries in bobsled, Ashley Caldwell in aerials freestyle skiing, Evan Bates in ice dance figure skating, Hilary Knight in ice hockey, Chris Mazdzer in luge, and Faye Gulini and Nick Baumgartner in snowboard cross. 

But in Gracenote's medal projections, the U.S. is projected to finish just fourth in Beijing, with 22 medals overall, behind Norway (45), the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) (32) and Germany (25). 

Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Austria and France round out the projected top 10. 

It's worth noting that, although all international competition leading up to the Games was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, it was especially true in Asia, where there were stricter lockdowns.

Thus, China's and Japan's medal projections heading into the Games are something of an unknown, but the nations will surely generate headlines. Japan has the potential to sweep the men's snowboard halfpipe podium, with Yuto Totsuka, Ayumu Hirano and Ruka Hirano ranked first, third and fifth in the world, respectively.

In freestyle skiing, Eileen Gu, who lives in the U.S. but represents China, competes in three events (ski slopestyle, ski big air and ski halfpipe) and is a favorite to medal in all of them. In fact, coming in at No. 13 overall, Gracenote projects host nation China will win a record 11 medals.

But it's Norway that is favored to bring home the biggest bounty for the second straight Games. The Nordic nation took home 39 medals in 2018, comprising 14 golds, 14 silvers and 11 bronzes. That set a record for the most medals by one country at a single Winter Olympics, formerly held by the United States for the 37 it took home in 2010.

With 14 golds each, Norway and Canada also tied that record, which the latter set at Vancouver 2010.

Cross-country skiing is Norway's bread and butter. It earned 14 medals in the discipline at the 2018 Games, with Marit Bjorgen winning five and Johannes Hosflot Klaebo, Simen Hegstad Kruger and Martin Johnsrud Sundby each winning three.

The U.S. has historically been dominant in freestyle skiing and snowboarding, but Japan and Canada could edge the Americans off the podium in those events this time around.