Content
Skip to Main ContentAccessibility Help
Olympics

Mark McMorris goes from big air to big in India

Mark McMorris is used to getting a lot of mentions on the web, but the snowboarder's team was surprised when they started coming from India, but there was a reason for that.

The Canadian snowboard star's story is being used by India's Prime Minister to inspire students

CBC Sports ·
Mark McMorris was surprised to learn that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was using the snowboarder's story to inspire students. McMorris gifted his 2018 Winter Olympic bib that he was wearing when he won slopestyle bronze, via Canadian PM Justin Trudeau. (Getty Images/Twitter @JustinTrudeau)

By Tanya Casole-Gouveia, CBC Sports

Canadians have been moved and inspired by the triumphant story of Mark McMorris, as showcased in documentary Unbroken: The Snowboard Life of Mark McMorris.

The double-bronze medallist has suffered a plethora of injuries, which culminated in a back-country snowboard accident that almost killed him. Eleven months later, he was able to walk away from the Olympic Winter Games with a bronze medal. 

A true inspiration

His story, well known in Canada, has now made its way all the way to India. That country's prime minister, Narendra Modi, spoke of McMorris' tragedy to triumph in a recent student town hall meeting he spoke at. 

The story goes that after the town hall, McMorris received several Google Alerts; he was getting mentioned on the internet more than usual, and in India. From there McMorris' team worked fast and were able to get McMorris's signed bib from his bronze-medalling slopestyle performance to Modi, by way of hockey icon Hayley Wickenheiser, who was heading to India to meet up with Canadian PM, Justin Trudeau.

It's unclear how Modi first learned of McMorris and his story, but one thing is certain, "it's a small world after all."

CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices|About CBC Sports
Corrections and clarifications|

Related Stories