Shaun White McTwists His Way Into Olympic Snowboarding History

The image that we all might remember most from the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver? Shaun White — The Flying Tomato, Red Zepplin, Animal — lighting up the halfpipe in a snowboarding display for the ages.

White was THE story up at Cypress Mountain on Wednesday, winning his second Olympic gold medal in men’s halfpipe. But it was the move seen ’round the world — the Double McTwist 1260, White’s signature move that includes two flips and three-and-a-half twists — that stunned those in attendance.

It’s clear that snowboarding has emerged as the big winner of the 2010 Olympic Games. White’s performances captivated the country, while the drama and excitement from the snowboard cross event was arguably the most exciting event to date.

So now, with White’s snowboarding exploits out of the way, it’s time to turn our sports betting and Winter Olympic betting lines focus over to the women. This afternoon, the ladies will compete for the snowboard halfpipe gold medal. According to the Sports Interaction online sportsbook, the odds-on favourite is American Kelly Clark, who captured gold in this same event back in 2002 in Salt Lake City. Clark is currently listed at 11/10.

Behind Clark is Gretchen Bleiler, another American who captured the halfpipe silver in 2006 in Turin. Blieler is currently listed at 81/50 and will likely be the one to push Clark for gold, barring a strange turn of events.

One woman that could cause a strange turn, however, is Australian Torah Bright. Bright turned pro at the tender age of 14 and has been lighting up the sport ever since — she actually finished 5th at the Winter Olympics in Turin four years ago and is seen by many as a strong contender to hit the podium in Vancouver. Bright is currently listed at 5/2.

A real sleeper in this event will be China’s Xuetong Cai, who at 16 is one of the youngest competitors at the Winter Games. Cai is listed at 12/1, but is coming off a recent streak of impressive performances, including a second-place finish in the last pre-Olympic halfpipe event (Calgary event, end of January).

If you’d like to check out more Winter Olympics betting and other Vancouver 2010 Games lines and odds, be sure to head on over to the Sports Interaction online sportsbook today!