Heading into the Skateboarding Vert at X Games 16 all the pre-event hype was focused on Shaun White's long-awaited return to the skateboard halfpipe. The golden boy of the Vancouver games was hoping to come back and put on a show...which he did. But White was outdone by skateboarding's most dominant vert rider today, Pierre Luc-Gagnon, aka PLG, who took home two gold medals from the Staples Center Friday night: Skateboard Vert and Best Trick.

All the while, the Canadian did all he could to emerge from White's giant X Games shadow. There, however, he didn't succeed.

PLG got past the amplitude of White and the consistency of Andy MacDonald with his hyper-tech assault. But even during his winning run he couldn't escape the gravity of White, who had just stuck a heel-flip body-verial frontside 540, a move never seen before at the X Games.

As White hyped the crowd, and the ESPN cameras stayed glued to him, PLG threw down a dagger of a run: linking a 720 on one wall to a kickflip body verial 540 on the following. The key word there being linked. There were no setup airs in between, which is what White's run was plagued with.

What made PLG's combination of moves evenmore impressive is his foot came off his board during the 720, yet he was able to get it back in time to land the move. "That is extremely dangerous," said halfpipe legend Tony Hawk.

The Canadian became the first person to 3-peat in the discipline in a "Power Final" that featured five previous gold medal winners in X Games Vert: PLG, Shaun White, Andy MacDonald, Bucky Lasek and Sandro Dias.

After PLG took the Skateboard Vert win, he followed by nabbing the Best Trick thanks to a nollie verial indie 540. Best Trick is the event many expected to see White bring his A-game to. Rumors about his secret training missions had many anticipating a possible Tony Hawk 900 moment. But White went mysteriously missing after his loss in the vert final. And even Hawk, who was announcing, had no explanation.

In the end it was simply PLG's night, he weathered the Shaun White media storm and was able to bring more golden bling back to Canada...Well actually San Diego...he's a transplant.

PLG. Photo: Jonathan Ferrey.

Results

Skateboard Vert
1. Pierre Luc-Gagnon - 93.00
2. Shaun White - 85.00
3. Andy MacDonald - 79.00

Vert Best Trick
1. Pierre Luc-Gagnon
2. Colin McKay
3. Bob Burnquist

Just like I predicted Pierre Luc Gagnon, aka PLG, brought it home on the vert ramp at the TD Garden in Boston, MA. The Canadian edged out Sandro Dias and Andy MacDonald to win the ISF Skateboarding World Championship. Olympic gold medalist, Shuan White, was scheduled to skate but had to sit this one out because of an injury.

"It's great to win the first stop of the Dew Tour and get a lead on points,"said Gagnon. "I also know I have better runs in me. so I feel like I can step it up and still skate better than this the rest of the s

In a bit of a surprise defending Dew Tour Vert Champion, Bucky Lasek, failed to place. Dias and McDonald were skating great all contest, but PLG was just too consistent. He stomped an array of flip tricks back-to-back, which resulted in two 45 point scores. In some funny news, Anthony Furlong skated one of his runs in a Lakers jacket and was serenaded by boos from the Boston crowd. A girl sitting behind me said to her friend, "Who the f--ck does he think he is."

PLG was the 2008 Dew Tour Vert Champion, and has gotten 2010 off to the right start. The next stop is the Wendy's Invitational in Portland, OR which kicks off on August 12. It will be interesting to see if he can keep the ball rolling, or if Lasek can bounce back to form.

Here are the full Results:

1. Pierre-Luc Gagnon, 91.26
2. Sandro Dias, 89.38
3. Andy Macdonald, 87.63
4. Pedro Barros, 81.00
5. Adam Taylor, 80.75

Here's some video highlights:

GRINDTV Newswire - via Alli Sports (May 10, 2010): Following a gold-medal-winning performance at the Vancouver Olympics in snowboard halfpipe, Shaun White will now be vying for a new title to add to his collection - SkateboardingWorld Champion. White's opportunity for his second major accolade of the year will take place at the Dew Tour's Skate Open, International Skateboarding Federation (ISF) Skateboarding World Championships June 25-26 at Boston's legendary TD Garden. Tickets forthe first stop of the 2010 Dew Tour are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com starting at just $15.

"Winning my second gold medal at the Olympics was unbelievable, and I'm excited to get back to skateboarding," White said. "After taking a year off, the Dew Tour's Skate Open is the perfect place for me to kick-offmy summer of skating."

Highlighting the athlete roster for the Dew Tour's Skate Open, two-time Olympic gold medalist White immediately switched his focus to skateboarding for the remainder of the 2010 season after claiming his second consecutivegold medal in the men's snowboard halfpipe competition at the Vancouver Games. Almost as accomplished on the vert ramp as he is in the halfpipe - capturing the 2007 Dew Cup with three straight event titles before taking home an X Games gold medal that samesummer - White will be competing at the Dew Tour's Skate Open - his first skateboarding contest since his recent Olympic snowboarding victory, and his first time competing for the title of Skate Vert World Champion.

In addition to White, top skate athletes from around the world will be competing at the Skate Open in both skate park and vert, including defending Dew Cup champion and Skate Vert World Champion, Bucky Lasek. Boston-local Andy Macdonald, up-and-comer Alex Perelson and vert legend Bob Burnquist will also be among those competing at TD Garden against White in a fierce battle for both the Skate Open win and the title of ISF Skateboarding World Champion in the vert discipline.

The defending Skate Park World Champion and three-time Dew Cup champion, Ryan Sheckler will look to repeat his World Champion status again in 2010. However, he will have to contend with the likes of Paul Rodriguez,Chaz Ortiz and Greg Lutzka.

A sneak peek at the skate park course for this year's Skate Open, ISF Skateboarding World Championships is available by visiting www.allisports.com

The Skate Open schedule of events is as follows:

Friday, June 25 - Gates open at 3pm
3:00pm Festival Village opens
3:45pm-5:00pm Women's SKB vert prelims
5:15pm-6:45pm Men's SKB park prelims, Group
17:15pm-8:45pm Men's SKB park prelims, Group
29:00pm-10:30pm Concert at City Hall Plaza
Saturday, June 26 - Gates open at noon
Noon Festival Village opens
4:00pm-4:45pm Women's SKB vert finals
5:00pm-6:00pm Men's SKB vert finals
7:00pm-8:00pm Women's SKB park finals
8:30pm-9:30pm Men's SKB park finals
**Schedule is subject to change**

Photo: Elsa via Getty Images

Pierre Luc Gagnon edged out Bucky Lasek and Andy McDonald to take the gold at the supposedly dead X Games Vert event. It didn't seem so deceased to me today. There was some serious technical coping killing (bad choice of words I know), and above the deck gnar that went down. Plus, it was on national television, and in front of a packed house, the only time something dead has been able to pull that off, it was Michael Jackson's body.

PLG had some steazy runs in which he stuck nollie backside bigspin heelflips, and airs like fakie 720s. In Bucky's second place runs he had it "his way" with McEggplants, and a few switch 540s. Then there was good old Andy MacDonald, I can't believe this guy is still around, I remember him competing against Tony Hawk when the X Games were in their infant years. His sponsors too! He's got to be the only guy on the Airwalk team. You know how he has pulled it off? Consistency, he sticks everything, nothing too crazy, but everything he does, he lands. It's also worth noting that 15-years into this thing Andy and Bucky are bringing home medals.

There you have it, PLG opted out of the Big Air contest to focus on vert and it payed off. He is now a gold medalist in a classic skateboarding event. Not an Evel Knievel stunt show.

Results:
1. Pierre Luc Gagnon
2. Bucky Lasek
3. Andy MacDonald