Shaun White 'Can't Wait' To Get Back To Nina Dobrev: 'Next Chapter Of My Life'

American snowboarder Shaun White is officially done with the slopes.

At a press conference in Beijing, China, White announced that he was going to retire from the sport shortly before competing. The 35-year-old snowboarder is the oldest American snowboarder to compete and had an amazing run.

White won three gold medals from the 2018 PyeongChang Games, the 2010 Vancouver Games, and the 2006 Turin Games. He took fourth place at the Sochi Games and, most recently, at the 2022 Olympic Games where he wiped out attempting to perform a complicated trick and slid down the slopes on his stomach. Although he didn’t place in his last competition, he has set the world record for the most X-Games gold medals and has the record for most Olympic gold medals won by a snowboarder.

Now Shaun White is ready to start a new chapter in his life and it’s all going to start with his girlfriend, Nina Dobrev!

As The Blast previously reported, the couple met at an event organized by motivational speaker Tony Robbins in 2019. They moved in at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and things have been going great for the couple since then. A close friend of the couple thinks that they might even be getting engaged!

“They are so freaking cute and solid together,” one friend of the couple told Page Six. “I would not be surprised if an engagement happens any day now.”

“They share so many interests, they’re both driven, they’re both into self-healing and well-being,” they continued. “They’re both very spiritual and motivated. They’ve both worked so hard for so many years to make their own careers, so now they’ve decided that any free minute they get, they spend with each other.”

Shaun White told E! News that he has the former “The Vampire Diaries” actress to thank for keeping him motivated throughout his last Olympic competition.

“Her love and support's been incredible,” he said. “She's just been, every step of the way, meeting me, through training, calling me, hiding notes and things in my bag, just anything to brighten my day.”

He revealed that the “Fam” actress has been providing him motivation and support every day of his competition.

“She knew all of my friends and family couldn't be there and she got everyone together and made this incredible video of everyone saying how much they wish they could be there and sending their love and support,” he continued. “I've been playing that video every day while I'm here to get pumped up and feel support from back home. So that was just so wonderful. It really set the tone for the rest of the trip.”

Now that he’s done with the Olympics, he is ready to head home and start the “next chapter” of his life.

“I can't wait to get back and see her, see my family and start this next chapter of my life,” he added.

Although his time in the Olympics is done, he still has mixed feelings about his final run, which he can only describe as “emotional.”

“I knew this would be my last Olympics and to navigate those waters… it's been great, it's been hard,” he explained. “But it's been an amazing journey and to see the fans at the bottom and the respect and the kind words I received from my competitors was everything. It really was.”

“To slide into the finish area from my final run and to just kind of bow and say thank you to the sport and thanks to everybody that supported me, you know, it was wild,” he added. “I knew this day would come but I just, now that I'm living it, it's pretty emotional."

Even though he’s leaving his career behind, his mark on the sport will never be forgotten, especially not by his fellow competitors.

“It was so amazing to see and hear their stories,” he continued. “One of the competitors was like, ‘I never told you this but when I first started snowboarding, I had your pro model board and your jacket that you used to ride in.' And to hear that I'd influenced them and propelled them in this trajectory and showed them the level of career that's possible within the sport.”

“And people that are just like, ‘Man, I wanted to beat you for so long.' You know? ‘But I respect you and I'm so honored to be here on your last dance,'” he continued. “That was very emotional and incredible and I broke down and let the emotions hang out there. I'm just so happy, I'll cherish that moment forever.”