Mark McMorris wins men’s slopestyle snowboarding silver at the 2019 World Championships

Mark McMorris (Adam Burwell, Wikimedia Commons)

Two-time Canadian Olympic bronze medalist Mark McMorris of Regina, Saskatchewan, won his second career medal at the World Freestyle Skiing and Snowboarding Championships on Sunday. McMorris won the silver medal in men’s slopestyle snowboarding in Park City, Utah. 

In the event, the qualification scores determined the medals, because there was no actual final due to inclement weather. McMorris registered a score of 93 points to win silver. Chris Corning of the United States won gold with 93.25 points and Judd Henkes of the United States won bronze with 90.5 points.

McMorris reached the podium by 3.25 points over Hiroaki Kunitake of Japan. Kunitake finished in fourth place with a score of 89.75 points.

McMorris previously won the silver medal in men’s slopestyle snowboarding at the 2013 World Snowboarding Championships in Stoneham, Quebec. That year he was beaten by Roope Tonteri of Finland.

Both of McMorris’s Olympic medals have also come in men’s slopestyle snowboarding. He won the bronze medal at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi and again at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. There is no doubt that McMorris will be an Olympic medal contender again at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. 

In events with Olympic status at the 2019 World Freestyle Skiing and Snowboarding Championships in Park City, Utah, Canada finished second with eight medals (two gold medals, three silver medals and three bronze medals). The United States had the most medals in events with Olympic status with 11 (five gold medals, one silver medal and five bronze medals).

Unfortunately however, Canada could have won more medals if events had not been cancelled due to poor weather. McMorris and Darcy Sharpe of Calgary, Alberta were medal contenders in men’s big air snowboarding. Laurie Blouin of Stoneham-et-Tewkesbury, Quebec was a medal contender in women’s big air snowboarding and Yuki Tsubota of Vancouver, British Columbia and Elena Gaskell of Vernon, British Columbia were medal contenders in women’s slopestyle skiing.

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