PYEONGCHANG, Korea, Republic Of — Canadian snowboarders Max Parrot and Mark McMorris have won Canada’s first medals of the Pyeongchang Olympics.
Parrot captured silver in men’s slopestyle while McMorris took bronze.
Redmond Gerard of the United States won the gold.
Parrot fell in his first two runs but nailed his third to bump McMorris out of the silver medal position with a score of 86.00.
McMorris had been sitting atop the standings after his second-run score of 85.20 before Gerard surpassed him with 87.16 points in his final attempt. McMorris fell in his final trip down the course.
It’s the second Olympic bronze for McMorris, who is coming back from life-threatening injuries suffered in a backcountry crash less than a year ago.
The 24-year-old from Regina suffered breaks to his jaw and left arm, a ruptured spleen, a stable pelvic fracture, rib fractures and a collapsed left lung. He spent 10 days in hospital and was on a liquid diet for six weeks.
From the start of his recovery, he was determined to get back to his previous snowboarding form. McMorris showed he could do it by winning a World Cup just eight months after the crash.
McMorris won bronze four years ago at the Sochi Games when slopestyle made its Olympic debut.
The women’s slopestyle qualification is set for Monday afternoon. The final rounds will go Tuesday morning.
Most of the slopestyle competitors will also compete in the big air event in Pyeongchang, a new addition to the Olympic program for 2018. The big air finals are set for Feb. 23-24 at Alpensia Ski Jumping Centre.