Canada’s Mark McMorris has walked away from the men’s snowboard slopestyle without a place on the Olympic podium.
The 32-year-old from Regina, Sask., fell on his final run, putting him eighth with a top run of 75.50 points and out of medal contention.
Chinese snowboarder Su Yiming won gold in the event on Wednesday at the Milano Cortina Olympic Games.
McMorries missed out on competing in the big air event due to a crash he suffered in training at the Games on Feb. 4. That incident left him with a concussion, pelvic bone bruising and strained abdominal muscles.
Legendary snowboarder Mark McMorris says ‘this sport has given me everything’
“I’m feeling pretty beaten up, mentally and physically,” McMorris said in a brief exchange with reporters.
“But I’m proud of my efforts. I’m really, really, really proud to make it to a fourth Olympics. I know I haven’t left any stone unturned. I worked my ass off to be here. I had the tricks to do so but like in sports, it doesn’t always go your way.
“For my career, 90 per cent of the events — the big events — have always gone my way. This not being one of them is really tough to swallow … At the end of the day, I’m just super thankful to be in one piece.”
His father Don McMorris, who has been watching the games in Italy, said he’s extremely proud of what Mark’s accomplished but the biggest feeling is relief after a stressful start.
“It is stressful. I mean, he is kind of at times, and I don’t want to pump him up too much, but a bit of a name in the country and the country’s emotions ride on him,” he said.
“You want him not to let the country down, and I don’t think he ever has. But that’s what you think about.”
McMorris has won bronze in each of his three previous trips to the Games (Sochi 2014, Pyeongchang 2018, Beijing 2022).
His dad said he believes he’s had to sustain the biggest challenges in his Olympic career so far with the most recent injuries. The support system has kept him going, he added.
“They stand behind those athletes, and especially Mark, so, so well.
“But but not only that, the family support, the provincial support and the national support, local support of Regina has been, I mean, the emails and the texts and the likes and all of that, it means a lot.”
McMorris’s run at Milano Cortina comes shortly after securing the title of the most decorated athlete in Winter X Games history. He holds a total of 25 medals.
“I really did feel the way he’s been riding over the last number of months, including the X Games, that he was probably one of the best in the world,” Don said.
“Sometimes you get to show it and sometimes it doesn’t work out and today he was so close on his second run … but it didn’t work out. ”
McMorris thanked everyone for their support during his 16-year career, and said he plans to keep going.
“I’m having more fun than ever. I don’t plan to stop any time soon,” he added.
Asked if he would go for a fifth Olympics, McMorris said “I don’t know yet,” and walked away.
Fellow Canadian Cam Spalding, 20, of Havelock, Ont., finished in 10th place in the slopestyle final with a top run of 75.13.
