ASPEN, Colo. — Canadian Max Parrot earned his third straight X Games gold in big air Friday night, taking his overall medal haul in the event to seven.
Parrot, from Bromont, Que., had a two-run score of 75.00, using a switch frontside triple cork 1440 and a frontside triple cork to beat Norwegian rider Marcus Kleveland by two points (73.00).
"I’m super happy to win another gold medal and back up the one from last year," said Parrot. "The contest went really well, it was actually pretty hard. All the guys really threw down. There’s been a lot of hardwork and I’m happy it paid off again tonight."
Parrot, who was named to Canada’s Olympic team earlier this month, became the all-time X Games medal leader in big air with his seventh overall medal.
Friday’s result would have been his fifth straight gold in the event, if not for a silver finish in 2015 behind fellow Canadian Mark McMorris.
"I am now the most successful athlete in the air, I have the most medals in the history of (X Games) big air and it makes me very, very proud," Parrot said.
McMorris of Regina narrowly missed the podium this time around, finishing fourth with a score of 61.00. Tyler Nicholson of North Bay, Ont., scored 52 points to finish in sixth.
Parrot, McMorris and Nicholson will all compete for Canada in big air at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea next month, where the event will make its Games debut.
Parrot and McMorris competed in slopestyle at the Sochi Olympics in 2014. McMorris took bronze while Parrot finished fifth.
Earlier Friday, Brett Turcotte of Clearwater, B.C., earned his second gold medal of the weekend, winning the snowmobile freestyle event.
Turcotte scored 92.00 on his second and final run to beat Americans Levi LaVallee (88.00) and Justin Hoyer (84.33).
Turcotte won gold in snowmobile speed and style Thursday.
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