Danny Davis on his way to winning a gold medal in halfpipe at X Games Aspen 2014; photo by Chris Council/Getty Images
Snowboarder Danny Davis, who stated recently that winning X Games gold meant more to him than Olympic gold, came away with the medal he prizes most Sunday night when he won the halfpipe at X Games Aspen 2014, doing so in large part because of who didn’t compete.
The legendary Shaun White, who had won the previous six X Games halfpipe competitions at Aspen, sat this one out to focus on training for the Sochi Winter Olympics, where he’ll compete in halfpipe and slopestyle.
Davis scored a 95.00 on his second run and won the gold after qualifying for the finals for the first time in six X Games appearances. “I can’t believe it,” he told ESPN. “I’m going to ride this switch method train as long as it’ll last.”
Here’s his winning run:
Asked afterward if he still felt winning X Games gold meant more than Olympic gold, Davis sounded a little less convincing, saying “Ummm, yeah. It’s bittersweet when Shaun’s not here. He’s the one to beat, but, forget it, I’ll take it.”
Danny Davis before taking victory lap in halfpipe at X Games Aspen 2014; photo by Chris Council/Getty Images
Iouri “I-Pod” Podladtchikov of Switzerland was unable to cleanly land his 1440 Yolo Flip and finished sixth. Louie Vito (93.00) and Greg Bretz (89.33) took silver and bronze to make it a clean sweep on the podium for the Americans. Like Davis, Bretz will be competing at the Sochi Olympics.
Four years ago, Davis beat White in a halfpipe Olympic qualifier and followed that up with a Dew Tour victory, but he never made it to the Vancouver Winter Olympics. He crashed a four-wheel all-terrain vehicle into a fence and suffered a fractured vertebra and broken pelvis.
He told the New York Times recently, it was “really stupid. Mostly because of, obviously, drinking and making a stupid mistake.”
With momentum on his side, Davis has a chance at redemption, if he manages to stay away from ATVs.
“We’re celebrating by locking Danny into his hotel room,” Jack Mitrani, a good friend of Davis, told the Denver Post. “Because Sochi’s right around the corner.”
More Winter Olympics stories on GrindTV
U.S. halfpipe skiers Angeli VanLaanen, Aaron Blunck, Lyman Currier punch Sochi tickets
Meet TJ Dawoud, the man behind Mammoth Mountain’s Olympic park and pipe
Gus Kenworthy, Keri Herman headed to Sochi; remaining Olympic spots are coaches’ choice
Shaun White lands first-ever Cab double cork 1440 in competition
Shaun White’s slopestyle win in Mammoth proves meaningful
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