Shaun White crashes in New Zealand, withdraws from season opener

Shaun White headed to New Zealand last week hoping for a win to kick off an Olympic season. Instead, the world’s most famous snowboarder took a trip to the hospital and withdrew from the competition following a crash in training.

White was scheduled to compete in Winter Games NZ, a FIS World Cup event, on Friday and Saturday.

"I took a crash while practicing for the event,” White said in a press release. “Nothing is broken but the doctors advised me to take a few weeks off. I'm heading home to rest and prepare for more snowboarding next month."

White, who turned 31 on Sunday, posted an update on Instagram, saying that he under-rotated a double flip and had to be taken to the hospital.

“The biggest scare was seeing blood in my urine but after the tests all came back looking good I was released to go home,” he wrote in the post. “Life's going to knock you down.... get up, learn from your mistakes, and you'll be better for it!”

The two-time Olympic gold medalist is trying to get back onto that podium after a disappointing fourth-place finish in Sochi.

White told USA TODAY Sports last week that he planned to return to New Zealand in October to train, potentially stopping to ride in Switzerland before that.

The U.S. Olympic team will be chosen after four qualifying events this winter, with the first in December at Copper Mountain, Colo.