International sports have their dominant figures - men and
women who are so good that they change the face of their
respective sporting landscape.
Golf has Tiger Woods. Tennis has Roger Federer and the
Williams sisters. Michael Phelps is swimming's stand-out
performer and Tony Hawk is the undisputed king of
skateboarding.
Snowboarding's global superstar is 22-year-old Shaun White.
Today, New Zealand snowsports fans have a chance to watch the
international rider - nicknamed the "Flying Tomato" - when he
takes part in his first event in this country, at Cardrona
Alpine Resort.
The lanky, ginger-haired Californian won gold in the halfpipe
at the 2006 Winter Olympics at Turino and holds a record 14
medals from the Winter X-Games.
His appearance at Cardrona is a coup for New Zealand's winter
sports fans.
He told the Otago Daily Times yesterday he had decided during
the flight down under last week to enter the New Zealand
Burton Open.
"I just thought `why not?"'
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