Big Air, Men

Making its Olympic debut in PyeongChang 2018, the big air event favorites included 2014 Olympic bronze slopestyle medalist Mark McMorris (CAN) who after a backcountry snowboarding accident was in a medically induced coma just 11 months prior, 2017 World silver slopestyle medalist Chris Corning (USA), and Marcus Kleveland (NOR), the first rider to ever land a quad cork 1800 in big air competition.

McMorris, a six-time big air X-Games medalist and 2013 slopestyle World Championships silver medalist, had won Canada’s first medal of the 2014 Sochi Games, with a repeat bronze in PyeongChang earlier in the Games.

After the qualification rounds, Canada and the United States each qualified three riders for the big air final. The Canadians were led into the final by their top qualifier Max Parrot, the 2018 PyeongChang slopestyle silver medalist, who had seven big air X-Games medals and had never finished lower than second in that event. Parrot was joined in the final by teammates Sébastien Toutant and McMorris. The Americans were led by Kyle Mack, Corning and Red Gerard, the PyeongChang 2018 slopestyle gold medalist.

The big air final, held on 24 February, was the last event on the snowboarding schedule at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. Canada’s Toutant had been off his board for a few months with a back injury leading up to PyeongChang 2018. After finishing 11th in the snowboard slopestyle final earlier in the Games, Toutant came back strong to become the first-ever Olympic snowboard big air champion, scoring runs of 84.75 and 89.50 for a total of 174.25 points. His Olympic gold medal was Canada’s 500th all-time Olympic medal. Kyle Mack (USA) won the silver and Billy Morgan (GBR) the bronze.

Canadian teammates Parrot and McMorris failed to make the podium after falling during the big air final (Parrot in his second and third runs, and McMorris in his first two), placing ninth and 10th respectively. Americans Corning and Gerard were just off the podium in fourth and fifth, respectively.