Channelling his inner hockey player, Sebastien Toutant kept his "upper-body" injury a secret heading into the Olympic Winter Games. On Saturday, Toutant – cranky back and all – managed the seemingly-impossible task, beating out fellow Canadians Max Parrot and Mark McMorris in the inaugural men's Olympic big air final.
Sebastien Toutant didn't get the result he was hoping for in the snowboard slopestyle event, but the 25-year-old bounced back to win gold in the debut of big air at the Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Ester Ledecka won the second leg of an unheard-of Olympic double, taking the gold medal in snowboarding's parallel giant slalom Saturday to go with her surprise skiing victory in the Alpine super-G earlier in the Winter Games.
Canadian snowboarders Jasey-Jay Anderson and Darren Gardner missed the cut in the men's parallel giant slalom competition Saturday at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
Canada's Sebastien Toutant won gold in the inaugural Olympic men's snowboard big air final.
Canada's Laurie Blouin and Spencer O'Brien finished a disappointing 10th and 11th in the first Olympic women's snowboard big air final.
The inaugural men's big air competition got underway on Wednesday morning in Pyeongchang. Max Parrot of Bromont, Que., scored 92.50 in his second run to grab the top qualifying score of the first heat and guarantee himself a spot in the final.
Like characters in a real-life video game, big air competitors will soar off a 49-metre ramp to perform jumps, flips and tricks before landing, hopefully, on their feet. Dangerous? Yes. Thrilling? Yes. Instagram worthy? Absolutely.
Canadian Laurie Blouin is fourth after the qualifying round of the women's big air competition at the Olympics in Pyeongchang.
Big air is about as straightforward a name as it gets for a sport, but that's where the simplicity ends as boarders only have one shot to showcase their creativity and skill. Here's everything you need to know to instantly become a big air expert.