The snowboarder exclusively told E! News just how much his girlfriend Nina Dobrev's 'incredible' love and support impacted him during his final Olympic Games
"I knew this would be my last Olympics and to navigate those waters...it's been great, it's been hard," he told E!."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."
Though it wasn't the outcome he wanted, the snowboarder can't help but feel grateful for his 15-year run."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," Shaun said."I knew this day would come but I just, now that I'm living it, it's pretty emotional.""It was so amazing to see and hear their stories," he revealed.
"And people that 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."
Now, as he gets ready to reunite with Dobrev and his family back home, the icon is looking forward to the future. As he told E!,"I can't wait to get back and see her, see my family and start this next chapter of my life."