Tomato's last flight: Shaun White to retire after the Beijing Olympics

Three-time Olympic gold medalist Shaun White, possibly the world's most recognizable snowboarder, announced Saturday that he plans to retire from competitive snowboarding after this year's Olympic Games, The Associated Press reported.

"In my mind, I've decided this will be my last competition," the 35-year-old White said during a news conference Saturday, according to ESPN.

He attributed his decision in part to injuries to his ankle, knee, and back but said he is feeling "pretty confident" about his prospects in Beijing and plans to "lay it out there" during his final Olympic appearance. The snowboarding halfpipe opens for training Sunday.

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White, also known as "The Flying Tomato" for his once-flowing red hair, previously won Olympic gold medals at Turin in 2006, at Vancouver in 2010, and at Pyeongchang in 2018. Per ESPN, he also "has a remarkable 18 individual Winter X Games medals."

"I'm sort of pinching myself, with how lucky I am to still be here at this age," White said.