Canada goes for double gold as Blouin, McMorris win snowboard big air world titles
Quebec's Edouard Therriault captures 1st career medal with silver in freeski big air
Canada earned double gold in snowboard big air as Laurie Blouin and Mark McMorris won their respective events at the snowboard and freeski world championships on Tuesday in Aspen, Colo.
Max Parrot of Bromont, Que., gave Canada a third spot on the snowboarding podium with a second-place finish in the men's event.
Blouin, from Stoneham, Que., earned her second career gold medal at a world championships. She also won at the worlds in slopestyle in 2017.
The 24-year-old Blouin, a silver medallist in slopestyle at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, scored 177.75 points to edge 2021 world slopestyle winner Zoi Sadowski-Synnott of New Zealand (176.76).
WATCH | Blouin soars to gold:
Miyabi Onitsuka of Japan (174.75) won bronze.
McMorris, from Regina, had 179.25 points, while Parrot had 178.25.
2021 men's slopestyle champ Marcus Kleveland of Norway (176.25) was third.
The 27-year-old McMorris has won two Olympic bronze medals in slopestyle.
WATCH | McMorris golden in Aspen:
WATCH | Parrot settles for silver:
Earlier, Canadian Edouard Therriault scored his first world championship medal, earning silver in the freeski big air event.
The Lorraine, Que., native native finished 2-¼ points short of a gold medal, finishing behind Sweden's Oliwer Magnusson, who scored 185.25 point as the final competitor to take the third and final jump.
"I was able to land the tricks I came here to do and had so much fun today," said Therriault.
"I came into the event with a game-plan and was aiming to at least get a top ten with a good score, but I never thought I would get on the podium."
Following up in third place was Switzerland's Kim Gubser, who finished with a score of 180.75.
Canadian Evan Mceachran finished in fifth with a score of 178.75.
WATCH | Quebec native Edouard Therriault captures silver in ski big air event in worlds debut:
On the women's side, Canada's Megan Oldham finished in fourth place with a score of 158.75.
WATCH | Ontario native Megan Oldham falls short of medal aspirations with fourth place finish:
Russia's Anastasia Tatalina blew the competition away with a score of 184.50 on her way to a gold medal. Behind her was fellow Russian Lana Prusakova with a score of 165.50 and China's Ailing Eileen Gu who took bronze with a score of 161.50.
WATCH | Russia's Anastasia Tatalina blows skies past competition en route to 1st career championship medal:
With files from The Canadian Press