Quebec snowboarder Max Parrot comes home with Olympic gold
Posted February 22, 2022 3:35 pm.
Last Updated February 22, 2022 6:47 pm.
Quebec snowboarder Max Parrot captured Canada’s first gold medal at the Beijing Olympics on day 3 of the games in slopestyle – and then added a bronze in the men’s big air competition – now he’s back home.
“This gold medal especially definitely ranks as one of the best trophies I got so far,” said Parrot at a press conference in Montreal on Tuesday. “I’m extremely happy to be back home, after three weeks in China, with my family and belongings and show them these two medals I’m bringing back, means a lot to me – means a lot to all of my team, my family and friends.”
Cancer changed Parrot’s life in 2018
The 27-year-old from Bromont, 87 km south of Montreal, won a silver medal at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics. Later that same year, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. His twitter bio proudly displays: “Cancer Survivor,” ahead of “Olympic Gold 2022“
“Cancer changed me as a person and as an athlete as well,” said Parrot. “To not take life for granted anymore, but also to not take any passions you have for granted anymore. So every time I step up onto my snowboard, every time, I’m always smiling more than before. Even though I was appreciative before, I’m appreciative 10 times more now. Every time you know you’re training, you’re about to hit the jump, you’re in the air, you know, you’re feelings, to feel more the moment – it makes you a better athlete, you’re more focused.”
Parrot says the cancer helped push him to be an even better athlete and has had a major impact on his career.
“When I was diagnosed, you know the only thing I could think was for tomorrow. To make it tomorrow. For 6 months, battling cancer was so hard. I was for sure, you know, in my head cancer had no option of winning against me and that was my way of fighting it. So I was for sure being really positive and really thinking about snowboarding again and my goal was to come back to the level I was, but like I said – I’ve surpassed the level already. And to even think I would go to a third Olympics it was not in my thoughts it was too far ahead when I was battling.”
Snowboarder has yet to come down from his Olympic high
For now, Parrot is still on cloud 9 and says Olympic Gold feels surreal.
“I’ve still been on a cloud pretty much. I think it’s hard to realize having that gold medal around your neck and just touching this it’s definitely special. It’s something I never thought I would have one day, at a really young age, so it kind of still feels unreal. […] I think it’ll take some time, but the more I celebrate these medals with friends and family, the more it will sink into me and I can’t wait to have a lot of parties ahead.”
Parrot will take some time off and focus on other projects – including growing his family.
“I’m not going to do anymore contest for this season, as my girlfriend is pregnant at the moment. I’m just going to spending more time with her for the rest of her pregnancy until we have the baby and [work on the nursery]. I want to focus on that. It’s kind of going to be a little break form training seriously and competing, but I’ll definitely come back to where I was for next year for the next season.”
Parrot adding that he’s not committing to another Olympics for now, that he’ll take it year by year.
Fans can always catch him on social media. He promises to upload more videos and keep snowboarding.
