After flip-flopping multiple times, snowboarder Shaun White announced Wednesday that he will definitely not compete in the Winter X Games, which kick off Thursday in Aspen, saying he wants to concentrate on the upcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi.
The 27-year-old and 13-time Winter X Games gold medalist originally planned to compete in the snowboard SuperPipe and Slopestyle events at the competition, which runs Jan. 23 to Jan. 26.
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On Friday, he announced he wouldn't be competing in order to devote more time to training for the upcoming Sochi Olympics.
"It's that time of, what do I really want to work on before the Olympics and you've only got one week to really crank it out," he said.
But just this past Tuesday, White posted a photo on Twitter with the caption, "Gettin' ready for X Games."
The change of heart was short lived, though, and on Wednesday he officially dropped out.
"I've been competing in the X Games since I was 13 years old; they are a huge part of why I am where I am and they are vital to the sport. Unfortunately, when I arrived at the mountain and looked over the schedule, I knew I wasn't going to be able to complete the kind of training I know I need in order to prepare for Sochi," White said after morning practice on the slopestyle course at Buttermilk Mountain. "It's an incredibly tough decision for me and it's not something I take lightly, especially as ESPN has always been a great supporter, but I have to make sure I'm prepared for the Olympics."
White, who's also a two-time Olympian, earned a spot on the U.S.'s Sochi team last week
despite crashing face-first during the Olympic qualifier.
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