TORINO: Snowboard: White tough in clutch as U.S. qualifies 4 for pipe finals

TORINO: Snowboard: White tough in clutch as U.S. qualifies 4 for pipe finals{mosimage}BARDONECCHIA, Italy – His successful run complete, Shaun White fell to his knees and clutched his chest with his hands. Who knew qualifying could be so dramatic?

”The Flying Tomato” was the last of four Americans to qualify for finals in the men’s halfpipe Sunday, keeping the United States more than alive for the medals sweep he predicted earlier in the week.

”It’s been a long time since I was that nervous,” White said. ”I really never get that nervous.”

Americans Danny Kass, Mason Aguirre and Andy Finch each made it through to finals easily — in the first of the two rounds of qualifying. White, however, sat down after one of his early airs in the opening round, meaning he had to wait nearly two hours for a second chance.

He lowered the difficulty the second time around — trading a 900-degree revolution for one of only 540 degrees — but there are no guarantees on the halfpipe. When he finished his final trick, an upside-down, 540-degree spin called the McTwist, he pumped his fist, then fell to his knees, clearly relieved to have made it into the final 12.

Each finalist gets two runs down the halfpipe in the afternoon and only the best of those runs counts.

White posted a 45.3 on his second qualifying run. It was the highest mark of either qualifying round and yet another example of how dominating can be. He’s the best snowboarder in the world right now, winner of all five Olympic qualifying events in the United States and the X Games, last month in Colorado.

And he’s still alive in the Olympics.

”I’m really excited because that run was me kind of holding back a bit and that got a 45,” White said.

With White in the hunt and four of 12 finalists, the Americans have more than a decent shot at a repeat of their history-making medals sweep of 2002. At the Salt Lake City Games, they became the first U.S. team to sweep the top three spots in the Winter Olympics in 46 years.

”I definitely think it’s possible,” Aguirre said. ”We were all holding back in qualifying and I think in the finals there’s going to be a lot more intensity.”

If anyone is going to stop the sweep, it would probably be Antti Autti of Finland, who finished second in the opening qualifying round. He has tinkered with a four-revolution jump — a 1440 — and if he pulls it off, it would be a first in Olympic competition.