An Olympic gold medal is always significant for an athlete, but it must be admitted that the one obtained by Max Parrot in slopestyle at the Beijing Olympics is invaluable.
It is obvious that the Quebecer wanted to change the color of his medal after obtaining silver in the same event in 2018 in PyeongChang. The present conquest, however, also testifies to all the courage and perseverance he has shown in his fight against cancer, which was diagnosed after the last Games. To be at the top of your sport after all these hardships makes the gold medal even sweeter.
“I got the money in PyeongChang and the following year was diagnosed with cancer. So much has happened since PyeoncgChang, I’m so grateful,” Parrot said in an interview with CBC after the final.
“It was never an option for cancer to beat me. It sure was scary a few times though. I had no idea how the treatments were going to go, what life had for me. »
“I never gave cancer a chance. I fought it every day and to get through my treatments. Even though it was a nightmare, I’m really proud to have come back. I am back three years later on the Olympic podium with a gold medal this time,” he added.
Parrot also took top honors with panache thanks to a sublime second run which gave it a score of 90.96 points. It is with great pride that he climbed the podium with the Chinese Yiming Su and his Canadian compatriot Mark McMorris.
“It means so much. I definitely didn’t want another silver or bronze. That’s what I’ve been saying for the past month and today I had my best career run. »
“There were at least five maneuvers that I challenged myself with and I nailed them all,” he maintained.
