Olympian gives 'smoothest reply' after host asked if he admitted to underage drinking in interview
An Olympic gold medal-winning snowboarder proved he was a pro not only on the slopes, but also at thinking on his feet when he was almost caught making an awkward admission to a reporter.
Shaun White is one of the best known snowboarders in the world and has won a whopping three Olympic gold medals.
But it was way back in 2006 when White, then aged just 19, had just won his first Olympic gold and narrowly avoided admitting to underage drinking during an interview.
This resulted in some absolute TV gold. You can watch the classic moment below:
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So, White was telling CNN about the time an airplane stewardess recognised him on a flight and treated him to a bunch of freebies.
He said: “What happened was the funniest thing is the stewardess had all seen the games and they were just so excited to see me.
“I was getting drinks and I was getting snacks and I mean I was taking photos in the back with all the students.”
The interviewer interrupted: “Wait a minute - drinks? You’re 19” - the legal age being 21 in White's native California.
Now this could have been a sticky situation for White, but the cheeky teen had an off-the-cuff comeback ready to go.
He smiled: “I’m talking about Mountain Dews, baby!”
People loved his quick thinking, with one YouTube user writing: “Give this man a medal for that recovery!”
Another said: “Hearing the whole crew off camera cracking up is the best.”
A third said: "‘I’m talking Mountain Dew baby’ that’s smooth af."
White was asking about the hilarious interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live in 2022, where the host quizzed him about if he was really just drinking soda on that flight.
He replied: “We were probably over international waters, so I don’t know. I think I was talking about Mountain Dews, though, I really was.”
As for what White’s up to now, he retired following the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
The now-37-year-old revealed to People that he almost called time in 2014, after winning no medals at the Winter Olympics in Sochi.
He said: “I was ready to finish this whole journey and put a nice ribbon on it and walk away, and now here I am, not satisfied with the finish and still unmotivated to compete. What do I do now?”
He decided to keep competing - and probably wished he hadn’t after a crash during a 2017 training session led to him requiring 60 stitches in his face.
Incredibly, he recovered in time to win his third gold medal at the 2018 P’yŏngch’ang Olympics.
What a guy.
Simon Fearn