Mark McMorris is a magician on a snowboard. By now, he’s reached icon status—winning nearly every major big air event in the world will do that for a person—and on Saturday night, he cemented that status in dramatic fashion. In the final slopestyle run at the X Games, the 25-year-old Canadian put down a showstopper, scoring 96 points to win the gold medal. Just one day prior, he took silver in the big air event.
McMorris is obviously no stranger to the slopestyle event. He’s already got two Olympic medals for the event on his chest, and it was back in 2012 when he really burst onto the X Games scene, winning double golds in both slopestyle and big air. Then, he did it again in 2015. In 21 X Games, McMorris has won gold eight times, six silver medals, and three bronze.
McMorris has faced his fair share of injuries, but none quite so severe as the one that happened in Los Angeles at the Air and Style event. While attempting a 1440 triple cork, he caught an edge upon landing and snapped his femur. Like all great athletes, though, McMorris got to work on rehab and, as evidenced on Saturday, is back stronger than ever.
