Canadian Max Parrot claims Winter Olympics snowboard slopestyle gold after cancer battle

Canada's Max Parrot has won the Winter Olympics gold medal in men's snowboard slopestyle, just three years on from being diagnosed with cancer.

Technically superior on his second of three runs in Zhangjiakou, Parrot scored a 90.96 to hold off the field. He tossed his snowboard in delight after the final score was revealed.

Su Yiming of China earned the silver and Mark McMorris of Canada used a strong final run to bump himself into bronze.

The 27-year-old Parrot was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma about 10 months after winning a silver medal at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

He underwent 12 treatments of chemotherapy over six months, a process he described as the toughest months of his life.

Parrot steadily regained his strength and along with it his winning form, as he earned Winter X Games gold medals in big air and slopestyle in 2019 and 2020.

«I was going through a true nightmare,» Parrot said.

«And just the thought of snowboarding was my dream at that point.»

Parrot was certainly at his best again on Monday, performing one triple cork after another along the Secret Garden course that is lined with a snow replica of the Great Wall.

Still, there were some anxious moments, such as when teammate McMorris crushed his final run.

McMorris raised his right hand in the air after landing his last trick, thinking maybe he had won.

But it was not good enough to move him past Parrot. McMorris tapped the snow with his board before heading over to hug his countryman.

«Max beat cancer, and it's pretty sick to see him do well,» McMorris said.

AP