Team Canada won six medals overall this past weekend at the 2023 Winter X Games. That is the second most medals overall, only behind the United States, which won seven medals. Canada won three gold medals, two silver medals and one bronze medal.
Megan Oldham of Newmarket, Ontario won two gold medals as she placed first in women’s big air skiing and women’s slopestyle skiing. The other Canadian gold medalist was Olympic bronze medalist Mark McMorris of Regina, Saskatchewan in men’s slopestyle snowboarding. The silver medalists were Canadian Olympic bronze medalist Rachael Karker of Guelph, Ontario in the women’s superpipe skiing event and Teal Harle of Campbell River, British Columbia in men’s big air skiing. The bronze medalist was Canadian Olympic silver medalist Laurie Blouin of Quebec City, Quebec in women’s big air snowboarding.
Oldham had a women’s big air skiing score of 91 points, and in the process became the first ever female skier or snowboarder to land a triple cork. Tess Ledeux of France won the silver medal with 90 points. Kirsty Muir of Great Britain won the bronze medal with 85 points. Oldham reached the podium by seven points over Mathilde Gremaud of Switzerland, who had 84 points. In women’s slopestyle skiing, Gremaud won silver and Muir won bronze.
McMorris broke the record for the most Winter X Games medals all-time with 22. Jamie Anderson of the United States had the old record with 21. Marcus Kleveland of Norway won the silver. Mons Roisland of Norway won the bronze.
Karker finished behind gold medalist Zoe Atkin of Great Britain and ahead of bronze medalist Svea Irving of the United States in the women’s superpipe skiing. Harle had a score of 96 points in men’s big air skiing. He placed behind gold medalist Mac Forehand of the United States, who won the gold medal with 97 points. Birk Ruud of Norway won the bronze medal with 92 points. Harle reached the podium by seven points over Matej Svancer of Czechia, who finished in fourth place with 89 points.
Blouin had a score of 82 points in the women’s big air snowboarding. Reira Iwabuchi of Japan won gold with 87 points. Zoi Sadowski-Synnott of New Zealand won silver with 86 points. Blouin reached the podium by four points over Mari Fukada of Japan, who had 78 points.
McMorris won the bronze medal for Canada in slopestyle snowboarding at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, and the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. Blouin won the silver medal in women’s slopestyle snowboarding at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. Karker won the bronze medal on women’s halfpipe skiing at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. The medals for Oldham, McMorris, Karker, Blouin, and Harle will give them confidence for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan/Cortina d’Ampezzo.
