White finished fifth in qualifying, while Chase Blackwell, his rival for the fourth and final Olympics ticket, was eliminated.
The accounting consequence is that the "Red Zeppelin", which was before this event the fourth highest ranked American in the world rankings, can no longer be caught by Blackwell, who was fifth.
However, the United States must select four halfpipe snowboarders based on the performance of each.
This criterion is therefore met by White, while for now only Taylor Gold is certain to go to Beijing, after climbing the podium in a direct qualifying event in Colorado last month.
Chase Josey and Lucas Foster, ahead of White, should also be selected by the American coaches.
Their list will be known no later than January 21.
The latter can use their discretionary power to award the 4th runner-up.
Which could have fallen to White anyway, given his status as a legend of a sport he popularized like no one else.
Nevertheless, the 35-year-old star hasn't been in great shape this winter.
He first failed in 8th place in the event held in December in Colorado, then gave up competing in the final of another competition at Mammoth Mountain (California) last weekend, after a fall.
And in the meantime he contracted the Covid.
"He just wants to keep working hard and improving. He hopes the place he is in right now is solid and he can be named to the team," the USA head coach explained at the time. Mike Jankowski.
That's why White made the last-minute decision to travel to Switzerland for this World Cup event, hoping to convince the coaches that he can hold his own.
Saturday's final will allow him to gauge himself, against the Japanese Ayumu Hirano and the Australian Scotty James, whom he had beaten on the podium in Pyeongchang in 2018.
Also crowned in 2006 in Turin and in 2010 in Vancouver, he dreams of a fourth title for what would be his fifth and last Olympiad.
./nip/smr
© 2022 AFP