U.S. snowboard great Shaun White began his bid for a third Olympic gold in convincing style, easily separating himself at the top of qualifying for the men's halfpipe at the Pyeongchang Winter Games on Tuesday.
Among the Japanese, Ayumu Hirano, who is looking to go one better than his 2014 Sochi silver medal, booked a place in the finals with the third-best qualifying score. Raibu Katayama and Yuto Totsuka also advanced, while Sochi bronze medalist Taku Hiraoka narrowly failed to make the cut.
White led the field on his first run with 93.25 points, only to one-up himself with a near-perfect 98.50-point second run, landing a series of high-octane airs including his signature double McTwist 1260.