Max Parrot flies to 3rd straight snowboard big air gold at Winter X Games
Mark McMorris lands 4th, Tyler Nicholson 6th
Max Parrot mimicked his winning performance from last year to grab gold in snowboard big air at the 2018 Winter X Games in Aspen, Colo.
For the second year in a row, the Cowansville, Que., native edged Norway's Marcus Kleveland to finish atop the podium. For the third year in a row, he won gold.
Parrot ended with 75 points, two ahead of his Norwegian rival.
Japan's Yuki Kadono won bronze with a score of 68.
"I'm super happy to win another gold medal and back up the one from last year," said Parrot. "The contest went really well, it was actually pretty hard. All the guys really threw down. There's been a lot of hardwork and I'm happy it paid off again tonight."
Parrot became the all-time X Games medal leader in big air with his seventh overall medal.
"I am now the most successful athlete in the air, I have the most medals in the history of [X Games] big air and it makes me very, very proud," Parrot said.
Canada's Mark McMorris, a favourite entering the final, never quite got on track. As a result the Regina, Sask., native ended in fourth, with 61 points.
Tyler Nicholson, from North Bay, Ont., scored 52 points to finish in sixth.
Parrot, McMorris and Nicholson will all compete for Canada in big air at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea next month.
With files from The Canadian Press