Snowboard-Canadian McMorris eyes a new medal colour at fourth Games

LIVIGNO, Italy, Feb 3 - Three-time Olympic bronze medallist Mark McMorris admits he would like to add a different shade of medal to his collection when he competes in the snowboarding events at the Milano Cortina Games in Italy this month.

The 32-year-old Canadian took the bronze in slopestyle at Sochi in 2014, Pyeongchang in 2018 and Beijing in 2022. 

"I'm super proud of all three that I have," McMorris said after training runs in Livigno, Italy. "But I mean, if I ride to the best of my ability and I get a different shade of medal, that would be freaking awesome."

McMorris, one of the older competitors in snowboarding, said he was feeling fit heading into his fourth Olympics. He finished first in slopestyle at an X Games competition last week. 

"That was a huge boost in mental confidence," McMorris said. "I've been putting in a ton of hard work. I was just waiting for it to kind of kick back at me, and it kicked back at an awesome event."

"My body's responding well to lots of riding, and I'm having fun, so looking forward to it," he added.

McMorris has battled through injuries throughout his career, including a 2017 crash in which he broke his jaw and left arm, ruptured his spleen, suffered a pelvic fracture, rib fractures and a collapsed lung.

He said he was proud of his resilience and felt he was as prepared as he could be to compete in the big air events that start on Thursday, and later in the slopestyle.

"To be at a fourth (Olympics) was not an easy feat, but I'm happy to be here," he said.

McMorris said he hoped to leave a legacy of "someone that always left it all out on the hill." 

If he does that in Livigno, he said he will be happy even if it does not earn him a new colour for his medal collection.

"Ride to the best of my ability and I will be extremely proud, proud of any which way it unfolds," he said. REUTERS