A proud support system! As Shaun White made his Beijing Olympics debut in the men’s snowboarding qualifying round, girlfriend Nina Dobrev had a pair of special guests watching the event with her.
“Let’s go baby!!!!” the Vampire Diaries alum, 33, captioned a Tuesday, February 8, Instagram Story video while holding her pup Maverick.
In the Boomerang clip, the actress donned Team USA merch, including a hat and a long-sleeved shirt, as she eagerly watched White, 35, tackle his first run.
Before White’s attempt — in which he finished in fourth place — the duo’s bulldog Steve “was stressin’” according to another Story snap on the Fam alum’s page.
“Nailed it!!! 🔥 🔥 🔥 I’m so proud,” she later captioned footage of her boyfriend’s placement. “By your side every step of the way.”
Ahead of the Air + Style founder’s qualifying performance, he confirmed his competitive retirement after the conclusion of the Beijing Games.
“You know, for me, this has all had this amazing glow to every single decision, every single competition because I have decided this will be my last Olympics and with that, I’ve given it my all,” White told reporters during a Saturday, February 5, press conference. “There’s been some ups and downs along the way to get here but through all of that, I feel like I’ve gotten stronger [and] gotten better — and now, I’m with these amazing teammates and I’m just so excited about everything.”
He continued at the time: “[I’m] just enjoying everything single moment and, I don’t know, I’ve done so much in the sport. … I definitely don’t think I’ll be leaving the sport anytime soon. I think the beautiful part about snowboarding is there’s still a life to be had within the sport outside of competition. So, I’m excited for that next chapter.”
After his Wednesday qualifying heat, White gushed about participating in his fifth Olympic Games.
“Wow! So happy to make it through into finals!! This being the last Olympic qualifying event of my career, I definitely felt the pressure,” the professional athlete captioned a Wednesday, February 9, Instagram post. “So pumped I pulled that last run off. See you in finals 💪.”
The Fresh Vine Wine founder, for her part, replied, “YA YOU DID !!!! 🔥🔥🔥.”
While Dobrev is unable to support her boyfriend — whom she was first linked to in 2020 — in person, she has been nervously watching from her couch.
“We’ll be anxiously watching from home and cheering him on,” the Bulgaria native exclusively told Us Weekly earlier this month. “I’m very, very excited for him. I can’t wait. I taped [his event], so it’s at the house, and as soon as I get home, I’m gonna sit down with my girlfriends and we’re gonna catch up and watch.”
The Olympic athlete, for his part, knew the couple’s relationship was something special after they bonded over their shared interests, including their love of animals.
“I wish I could sum it up into one or two things,” he exclusively told Us ahead of the Games. “It’s such a mix of everything. Like our dogs get along, you know? We have common interests. The way in which we met really kind of strengthened our relationship. And the problems that we do face, they kind of fall away through communication. It’s just been great.”
