Shaun White confirms he'll retire after 2022 Winter Olympics

Shaun White confirmed what most already assumed: The 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing will be his last before retirement.

White, 35, will compete in his fifth Olympics when men's snowboard halfpipe competition begins Wednesday with qualification runs. White is a three-time gold medalist in the event, dating back to his debut at the 2006 Olympics in Torino, Italy, when he was just 19.

"I was in Austria. The pipe wasn't the best conditions. I had this ankle issue which prevented me from competing further at the Mammoth qualification," White told reporters in Beijing, via CNN. "I had this knee issue from where I had surgery in the summer before, and I injured my back working out randomly. And on the chairlift ride, the mountain was closing and no one was around, and I was watching the sun go down, and it just hit me. I was like, 'This is it, these are the signs.'

"It was a very sad and surreal moment, but very joyous as well. I reflected on all the things I've done, and looked at that sunset going down, and I thought: 'Next time I'm here I won't be stressed about learning tricks.' I won't be worried about some kind of competition. I'll just purely be here to enjoy the resort, maybe check out other runs besides the halfpipe for once.'"

Snowboarding events were first added to the Olympic program in 1998, and White is the only athlete in the sport to win three golds. He earned his spot in the Beijing Games with a third-place finish at the Laax Open in Switzerland in January that propelled him up the world ranks.