Snowboarding | Parrot takes gold and McMorris takes bronze in slopestyle

Nobody could have hoped for a more beautiful scenario for Maxence Parrot. The Quebecer won the gold medal in the slopestyle event, in snowboarding, on Sunday evening.

There was no question for Parrot of playing extras during this final. Especially since it was expected. After winning silver at the same event in 2018, expectations were high for the athlete from Bromont.

As usual, Parrot has risen to the occasion.

On his first run, he set the bar very high for his rivals with a score of 79.86, good for first place at the time. He finally slipped to third position at the end of the first race, in particular due to the very good performance of the American Red Gerrard.

Except that the triple Olympian had seen others. On his second try, Parrot gave a memorable and exemplary performance. Thanks to a near-perfect execution, a very high technique and a flawless frontside triple cork 1620 to conclude the run, the judges had no choice but to give him the best score of the day, which was 90.96. . He therefore took the lead by a good margin and he practically assured himself of a place on the podium.

He probably would have liked to consolidate his lead in the third run, but he lost his balance on one of the first ramps.

It was a happy and visibly moved man who finally won the gold medal at Genting Park.

After China’s Su Yiming got his second place mark, Parrot launched his board and waved a Canadian flag which he then put around himself.

The conclusion of a grueling Olympic cycle

Anyone who wins Olympic gold achieves an admirable feat. Nevertheless, Parrot’s victory has a special cachet that cannot go unmentioned. In February 2018, he finished second at the PyeongChang Games.

In December, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He underwent chemotherapy treatments for about six months. He returned to competition in 2019 and picked up where he left off, at the top of his game.

More than two years later, he wins the greatest reward that a sportsman can dream of having: Olympic gold.

McMorris also on the podium

Mark McMorris had also started his day well by taking fifth place after a heat.

The Saskatchewan athlete, however, upped his game on the next two runs. On his last jump, he landed a backside triple cork 1620, a maneuver with a very high degree of difficulty.

McMorris was a scorcher, earning him a third consecutive bronze medal in this event with a final score of 88.53.

Harder for Toutant

Sébastien Toutant had a more difficult day. It was all about details.

He was precise in his maneuvers, but had difficulty with his landings. The 29-year-old snowboarder crashed on each of his three runs.

A perfect jump on the final descent could have saved him, but he landed his backside triple cork 1440 badly. The Quebecer took ninth place, but he will have the chance to defend his Olympic title at the big jump, in a few days.