Could a Canadian podium sweep be in the cards?
The possibility exists after four Canadians qualified for the finals of the men's slopestyle at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Max Parrot, Mark McMorris, Tyler Nicholson and Sebastian Toutant were all among the top 12 scorers after the heats, opening up a tantalizing potential of multiple Canadian medallists in the event.
McMorris, a 2014 Olympic bronze medallist and the biggest name of Canada's contingent, held a brief lead in the heats until Parrot topped him. Less than a year after suffering major injuries in a near-fatal crash, McMorris drew an appreciative cheer from the crowd at the Bokwang Snow Park in Pyeongchang.
Watch @markmcmorris nail his second run during the men's slopestyle qualifiers @VisaCA pic.twitter.com/GzohtG148w
— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) February 10, 2018
Not to be outdone by his compatriot, Parrot impressed in his second run to claim first place from McMorris.
.@MaxParrot's second run puts him in first place at the men's slopestyle qualifier @Bell #MoreCanada pic.twitter.com/zgeInReegm
— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) February 10, 2018
Parrot's score of 87.36 topped all competitors, followed closely by McMorris in second place with 86.83. Toutant was third in Heat 1 (ninth overall) with a score of 78.01, while North Bay, Ont., native Richardson claimed fifth place in Heat 2 (seventh overall) with 79.21 points.
Canada and Norway dominate the finals with four snowboarders each, while the United States, Sweden, Belgium and New Zealand each have one competitor in the deciding round.
With the finals set for 8:00 p.m. ET Saturday, the competitors will have precious few hours to prepare.
“I’m going to get a few more rotations hopefully at practice and step up the rail line a bit,” McMorris said after the heats. “I’m going to save all the magic for tomorrow.”
Parrot, who finished fifth in Sochi in 2014, said the course in Pyeongchang presents some problems but that he'll be ready for his second Olympic finals.
“The rails are really high," Parrot said. "Some of the rails are higher than me, and I’m 5’11” so it’s pretty high, pretty risky. But you know, we got three days of practice and we have time to figure it out.
“The angle jumps are definitely not what I’m used to having, but it’s nice to have these challenges in slopestyle.”