Rosa Khutor, Russia (SportsNetwork.com) - Shaun White has decided to withdraw from the Olympic slopestyle event.
White will instead concentrate on his preparations for a third straight halfpipe gold medal.
"After much deliberation with my team, I have made the decision to focus solely on trying to bring home the third straight gold medal in halfpipe for Team USA," said White in a statement released by U.S. Snowboarding. "The difficult decision to forego slopestyle is not one I take lightly as I know how much effort everyone has put into holding the slopestyle event for the first time in Olympic history, a history I had planned on being part of."
White hurt his wrist during a training run on Tuesday and had initially indicated that he wouldn't miss the event.
"Shaun is the consummate professional and has made a sound athletic decision," said Jeremy Forster, USSA Snowboarding and Freeskiing director. "We anticipate an outstanding slopestyle debut on Saturday, but also respect the importance to Shaun to keep his focus on winning a third halfpipe gold."
The slopestyle course has drawn criticism for its setup and has been modified after Monday's injury to Torstein Horgmo. The Norwegian suffered a broken collarbone and will miss the event.
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