Canadian Olympic silver medalist Max Parrot of Cowansville, Quebec won the gold medal in a big air snowboarding World Cup in Beijing, China on Saturday. It was one of two medals Canadian athletes won in the snowboarding World Cup in China this past weekend, as Canadian Olympic silver medalist Laurie Blouin of Stoneham-et-Tewkesbury, Quebec won the bronze medal in the women’s big air snowboarding World Cup on Saturday.
Parrot posted a winning score of 186 points. He reached the podium by 13.25 points over Ryoma Kimata of Japan, who was in fourth place with a score of 172.75 points. Sven Thorgren of Sweden won the silver medal with a score of 185 points and Chris Corning of the United States won the bronze medal with 181.25 points.
It was Parrot’s 11th World Cup medal and seventh World Cup gold medal in snowboarding. Parrot previously won big air World Cup snowboarding gold medals in Boston, Massachusetts, United States on February 11, 2016, in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada on February 13, 2016 and March 24, 2019, in Copper Mountain, Colorado on December 17, 2016 and Laax, Switzerland on January 20, 2017. Parrot has also won two slopestyle World Cup snowboarding gold medals.
Parrot is in sixth place in the big air World Cup snowboarding standings with 1000 points. Corning leads with 2200 points.
Blouin posted a third place score of 155.75 points. She reached the podium by 12 points over Reira Iwabuchi of Japan, who was in fourth place with a score of 143.75 points. Miyabi Onitsuka of Japan won the gold medal with 165 points and Anna Gasser of Austria won the silver medal with 158 points.
It was Blouin’s sixth career World Cup medal in snowboarding. She previously won silver in slopestyle in Cardrona, New Zealand on August 22, 2015 and in Seiser Alm, Italy on January 27, 2017. Two of Blouin’s career World Cup big air medals were silver and took place in Quebec City on March 24, 2018 and March 16, 2019. Blouin also won a bronze medal in a World Cup women’s big air snowboarding event in Beijing on November 24, 2018.
Blouin is in fifth place in the women’s big air snowboarding standings with 1050 points. Reira Iwabuchi of Japan leads with 1900 points.
Blouin and Parrot each won silver medals in slopestyle snowboarding at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. The medals for Blouin and Parrot in Beijing on Saturday were significant because it came at the same facility that will be used for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing.
