MOSCOW, January 26 (R-Sport) – World snowboard slopestyle silver medalist Mark McMorris has broken a rib two weeks before the Winter Olympics, but insists he still hopes to compete at the Sochi Games.
The 20 year-old failed to defend his title at the Winter X Games in Aspen on Saturday after hitting the rail before an ugly landing in his third and final run.
Despite the fall, McMorris, who won silver at his home Snowboard World Championships last January, finished second, beaten by his fellow Canadian Maxence Parrot.
“Thank you all for the kind words!!!! I ended up breaking a rib today but will be continuing my journey to Sochi for #teamcanada,” McMorris said on Twitter after a medical examination.
Along with world champion Roope Tonteri of Finland, McMorris is considered to be one of the main gold medal contenders in Sochi, where the slopestyle event makes its maiden appearance.
The men’s final will be held at the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park on February 8.