United States' Shaun White sails through the air in his first run to take the gold medal for the Men's Halfpipe Snowboard competition at the Torino 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Bardonecchia, Italy Sunday, February 12, 2006. Don't forget to read our articles on these snowboarders: Hannah Teter Gretchen Bleiler (Photo: Peter Dejong/AP Wide World)

Sunday, February 12—They call him the "Flying Tomato." Shaun White and his shock of shoulder-length red hair stood triumphant on the medal platform today after an amazing half-pipe performance at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino, Italy.

U.S. teammate Danny Kass came in second for the silver medal, retaining U.S. dominance in the sport.

"I'm a little overwhelmed right now. I can't explain it," White said after his successful run.

Finland got in the way of a repeat of the three-medal sweep by the U.S. in the 2002 games. Finnish snowboarder Markku Koski of Finland took the bronze, leaving Mason Aguirre of the U.S. in fourth place.

In half-pipe finals, snowboarders are judged on the best of two runs. White gave his best in the first attempt. The 11 competitors who followed were unable to best his score.

"It's definitely one of the best things that's ever happened to my career," White said. "I came out here. I barely made it into finals. After that, I knew I could just do the best run I had planned.