Shaun White was almost frozen out of his shot at a fourth and final Olympic medal.
On Wednesday, Feb. 9, the world's most decorated snowboarder took part in the snowboard halfpipe qualifying event at the 2022 Beijing Olympics and fell on the first of the two runs. At the end, White made a comeback and came in fourth place, which means he is eligible to compete in the finals on Friday.
Meanwhile, at home, his girlfriend of two years, Nina Dobrev, was on the edge of her seat. "Let's go baby!!!!" the actress, decked out in Team USA swag, captioned an Instagram Story clip. Even their dogs were nervous, as she joked, "Steve was stressin'." Shaun shared her post.
But there ultimately was nothing to worry about. "Nailed it!!!" the "Vampire Diaries" alum wrote after he finished, adding three fire emojis. She later wrote, "I'm so proud @shaunwhite."
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Shaun White's Behind-the-Scenes Pics at the 2022 Winter Olympics
And Dobrev couldn't help but pose next to her champion. Well, kind of. Standing beside him on her TV, she wrote, "By your side every step of the way. [heart emoji]"
After the 2022 Olympics kicked off Feb. 4, White gave Dobrev a shout-out during a remote interview on NBC's "Today" show. "I wish she could have been here. She was trying her hardest to sneak in somehow," White, who has said he will be retiring after the Games, joked. "But, you know, she's been so supportive and so wonderful, really just in my corner every step of the way. Hi Nina! Thank you for everything."
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White also revealed the sweet parting gift the actress gave him before his trip to Beijing. "She made this incredible video of all my friends and family," he said. "Really incredible."
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