Shaun White competed in his first Olympics as a teen — and won gold

Nbc reports Shaun White first competed in the Winter Olympics as a teenager and, for the first time since his debut, will not be participating as a competitor; he has joined NBC's broadcast team to help cover the XXV Winter Games Opening Ceremony in northern Italy.

White nearly made Team USA for the 2002 Winter Games at age 15 but went on to compete at five consecutive Winter Games: Turin '06, Vancouver '10, Sochi '14, PyeongChang '18 and Beijing '22. He won gold medals in the men's snowboard half-pipe event in '06, '10 and '18, and retired from professional snowboarding after the Beijing Games in 2022.

Nicknamed "The Flying Tomato," White was 19 when he stood atop the podium in Turin in 2006, a moment he later called a huge turning point in his life and described as "heavy." Now 39, White has expanded his endeavors to include an apparel line called Whitespace and a sports league called The Snow League, and he is part of NBC's broadcast team for the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony alongside Terry Gannon.

Italy, northern Italy