Shaun White was the talk of Twitter and mentioned by many other professional athletes after he won the gold medal in the men’s halfpipe at the Olympics in PyeongChang on Wednesday. But there was one shoutout that stood out more than the others.
Michael Phelps sent a congratulatory tweet to White in which he mentioned “comeback” and “redemption.”
Let’s go @shaunwhite !!! Way to go man!! Nothing like a good comeback right?? Redemption always feels great!! #usa #OlympicGames2018
— Michael Phelps (@MichaelPhelps) February 14, 2018
The parallels between the careers of the two Olympic athletes are notable.
Phelphs delivered below expectations at the 2012 Olympics in London with four golds and two silvers. After retiring, he decided to come back and compete in Rio, where he won five golds and a silver, including winning gold in the 200 meter butterfly to avenge a previous loss.
Similarly, White had a disappointing showing at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi after winning gold in the halfpipe in 2010 and 2006. He bounced back with a vengeance in 2018 and reclaimed gold, which is why he was so emotional he was crying afterwards.
