Max Parrot

{{Short description|Canadian snowboarder}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2021}} {{Infobox sportsperson | name = Maxence Parrot | image = | imagesize = | caption = | nationality = Canadian | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1994|06|06}}<ref>{{cite news|title=Maxence Parrot|url=http://www.lapresse.ca/sports/sotchi-2014/201402/05/01-4735965-decouvrez-les-athletes-canadiens-aux-jeux-de-sotchi.php#athlete=1146|accessdate=January 4, 2017|work=La Presse|language=fr-CA}}</ref> | birth_place = Cowansville, Quebec | height = 180 cm<ref name=profile>{{cite web |title=Profile |url=http://olympic.ca/team-canada/maxence-parrot/ |publisher=Snowboarding Canada |accessdate=January 9, 2014}}</ref> | weight = 70 kg<ref name=profile/> | website = [https://www.maxparrot.com www.maxparrot.com] | country = Canada | sport = Snowboarding | event = Slopestyle, Big air | club = | medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Men's snowboarding }} {{Medal|Country|{{CAN}} }} {{MedalCount | total = yes | Olympic Games | 1 | 1 | 1 | Winter X Games | 8 | 5 | – | World Championships | - | 1 | – | World Cup (globes) | 1 | 3 | 2 | World Cup (events) | 8 | 4 | 1 }} {{MedalOlympics}} {{MedalGold|2022 Beijing|Slopestyle}} {{MedalSilver|2018 Pyeongchang|Slopestyle}} {{MedalBronze|2022 Beijing|Big air}} {{MedalCompetition|World Championships}} {{MedalSilver|2021 Aspen|Big air}} {{MedalCompetition|Winter X Games}} {{MedalGold|2014 Aspen|Big Air}} {{MedalGold|2014 Aspen|Slopestyle}} {{MedalGold|2016 Aspen|Big Air}} {{MedalGold|2017 Aspen|Big Air}} {{MedalGold|2018 Aspen|Big Air}} {{MedalGold|2020 Aspen|Big Air}} {{MedalSilver|2013 Aspen|Slopestyle}} {{MedalSilver|2015 Aspen|Big Air}} {{MedalSilver|2022 Aspen|Big Air}} {{MedalCompetition|Winter X Games Europe}} {{MedalGold|2019 Oslo|Big air}} {{MedalGold|2020 Hafjell|Slopestyle}} {{MedalSilver|2016 Oslo|Big Air}} {{MedalSilver|2017 Hafjell|Big Air}} {{MedalSilver|2020 Hafjell|Big air}} | show-medals = yes }} '''Maxence "Max" Parrot''' (born June 6, 1994, in Cowansville) is a Canadian snowboarder. He is an Olympic champion in slopestyle, winning gold at the 2022 Winter Olympics and also won a silver in the event at the 2018 Winter Olympics. Parrot has also won six gold medals at the Winter X Games and two gold medals at the Winter X Games Europe.

==Early life== Parrot was born and raised near the Bromont ski area in Quebec. He began skiing at age three and discovered snowboarding at age 9.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2014-02-07|title=Une médaille pour les Parrot|url=https://www.lapresse.ca/debats/chroniques/philippe-cantin/201402/07/01-4736540-une-medaille-pour-les-parrot.php|access-date=2021-09-11|website=La Presse|language=fr|last1=Cantin |first1=Philippe }}</ref> His father, Alain Parrot, was an alpine ski racer and Canadian waterski champion.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.lapresse.ca/debats/chroniques/philippe-cantin/201402/07/01-4736540-une-medaille-pour-les-parrot.php|title=Une médaille pour les Parrot|last1=Cantin|first1=Philippe|date=February 7, 2014|work=La Presse|accessdate=January 4, 2017|language=fr-CA|trans-title=A Medal for the Parrots}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Our Ambassadors: Max Parrot|url=http://mtl2017gymcan.com/en/2016/12/13/our-ambassador-max-parrot/|accessdate=January 4, 2017|publisher=2017 World Gymnastics Championships|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104163517/http://mtl2017gymcan.com/en/2016/12/13/our-ambassador-max-parrot/|archive-date=January 4, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Career== Max Parrot has made snowboarding history four times. In 2013 he laid down the first Backside Triple Cork ever seen in an X Games Slopestyle event. In 2014, Parrot was the first to land consecutive Triple jumps in a Slopestyle run at the X Games.<ref>{{cite news|last1=O'Neil|first1=Devon|title=With two X Games golds, Max Parrot remains an underdog|url=http://xgames.espn.com/xgames/snowboarding/article/10353420/with-two-x-games-golds-max-parrot-remains-underdog|accessdate=January 4, 2017|publisher=ESPN|date=January 25, 2014}}</ref> In April 2015, Parrot performed the very first Cab Quadruple Underflip 1620. In January 2016, he brought the Cab 1800 Triple Cork into competition at the X Games in Aspen, earning him his second Big Air gold medal.<ref>{{cite news|title=Max Parrot Talks About The First Quad Flip, Haters, And What's Next|url=http://snowboarding.transworld.net/photos/max-parrot-talks-about-the-first-quad-underflip-haters-and-whats-next/|accessdate=January 4, 2017|work=TransWorld SNOWboarding|date=April 23, 2015}}</ref> He competes in slopestyle and represented Canada at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.<ref>{{cite news |title=Mark McMorris breaks rib in X Games slopestyle final |publisher=CBC Sports |date=January 25, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://xgames.espn.com/xgames/snowboarding/article/10351911/mark-mcmorris-breaks-rib-slopestyle-finals|title=Mark McMorris breaks rib during Slopestyle finals|last=Bane|first=Colin|date=January 25, 2014|work=X Games|access-date=February 10, 2018}}</ref> Parrot has won a gold and silver medal each in both slopestyle and the big air events at the Winter X Games.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Max Parrot {{!}} X Games |url=https://www.xgames.com/athletes/max-parrot/ |access-date=2026-02-09 |language=en-US}}</ref>

He competed for Canada at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, where his first competition was in the slopestyle event. Parrot qualified for the final with the highest score, but in the final, he started with difficulty. He fell heavily on his first two of three runs; on his final run, he threw down a clean run, scoring 86.00. This was good enough for the silver medal and his teammate Mark McMorris finished in third for the bronze medal. After the run, Parrot said that "I hit my head twice; a couple were pretty hard, actually. But I'm fine, I'm good. My helmet saved me twice, and it made it possible to do my third run and actually land it. It's mission accomplished for me here. I'm really happy."<ref>{{cite news|title=Parrot, McMorris claim Canada's 1st medals, take silver and bronze in snowboard slopestyle |url=https://olympics.cbc.ca/news/article/parrot-mcmorris-claim-canada-1st-medals-take-silver-and-bronze-snowboard-slopestyle.html |website=CBC Sports |date=February 10, 2018}}</ref>

In early 2019, Parrot was diagnosed with blood cancer, Hodgkin Lymphoma, and underwent 12 rounds of extensive chemotherapy for 6 months. He recovered later that year and returned to competing, winning gold at the 2020 Winter X Games and beating fellow Canadian Mark McMorris.<ref>{{cite news |title= Max Parrot wins X Games snowboard big air, one year after cancer diagnosis |url= https://olympics.nbcsports.com/2020/01/26/max-parrot-x-games-cancer/ |website=NBC News |date= January 26, 2020}}</ref>

Parrot was named as part of Canada's 2022 Olympic team.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://olympic.ca/2022/01/19/19-snowboarders-nominated-to-team-canada-for-beijing-2022/|title=19 snowboarders nominated to Team Canada for Beijing 2022|last=Nichols|first=Paula|date=19 January 2022|website=www.olympic.ca/|publisher=Canadian Olympic Committee|access-date=19 January 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Dichter|first=Myles|url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/winter/snowboard/olympics-canada-snowboard-team-announcement-1.6318214|title='Strongest team in all of snowboarding': Canadian squad named for Beijing Olympics|date=19 January 2022|website=www.cbc.ca/|publisher=CBC Sports|access-date=19 January 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=19 January 2022|title=Toutant, McMorris, Parrot, Blouin return as Canada's Olympic snowboard team announced|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/sports/article/toutant-mcmorris-parrot-blouin-return-as-canadas-olympic-snowboard-team-announced/|work=Canadian Press|location=Toronto, Ontario, Canada|access-date=19 January 2022}}</ref> He began his Olympics in the slopestyle event, Parrot finished the qualifying round in 10th place which meant he would start third in the final. In his second run of the final, he scored a 90.96, a run that would not be beat, locking up the gold medal for Parrot.<ref>{{cite news|last=Mitchell|first=Kevin|date=7 February 2022|title=Canada's Max Parrot claims Olympic gold, Mark McMorris gets bronze in snowboard slopestyle|url=https://nationalpost.com/sports/olympics/max-parrot-claims-olympic-gold-mark-mcmorris-gets-bronze-in-snowboard-slopestyle|work=National Post|location=Toronto, Ontario, Canada|access-date=7 February 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Dichter|first=Myles|url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/winter/snowboard/olympics-mens-snowboard-slopestyle-final-1.6341969|title=Snowboarder Max Parrot soars to Canada's 1st gold medal at Beijing Olympics, McMorris adds bronze|date=7 February 2022|website=www.cbc.ca/|publisher=CBC Sports|access-date=7 February 2022}}</ref> His win was not without some controversy, as judges later admitted to missing a knee grab that according to BBC News analyst Ed Leigh, would have "totally upended the podium".<ref name=BBCgold>{{cite news |title= Winter Olympics: Max Parrot wins snowboard slopestyle gold three years after cancer diagnosis|author= Katie Falkingham |url= https://www.bbc.com/sport/winter-olympics/60285168 |date=February 7, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Canada's Parrot takes slopestyle gold after judging error|language=en-GB|work=BBC Sport|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/av/winter-olympics/60285475|access-date=2022-02-11}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title="We judged from a specific media angle that we were given": Olympic Head Snowboard Judge Speaks About The Controversial Slopestyle Result|url=https://whitelines.com/snowboard-culture/scene/interviews/all-rise-olympic-head-snowboard-judge-explains-what-happened-during-the-slopestyle-finals.html|access-date=2022-02-11|website=Whitelines Snowboarding|language=en-US}}</ref> For his part, Parrot called it "the best run of his life. I'm so proud of every feature, how I was able to clear them, and I'm really stoked with my score."<ref name=BBCgold/> The gold medal came after a tumultuous four years that saw him recover from a cancer diagnosis to standing on top of the podium, Parrot talked about his recovery from cancer and Olympic win saying that "you have no cardio, you have no energy, you have no muscles. To be back out here, at the Olympics, on a podium again but with a gold medal, it feels amazing."<ref name=BBCgold/> Parrot finished his Olympics with a bronze medal in the big air event.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sportsnet.ca/olympics/article/canadas-max-parrot-wins-bronze-mens-big-air-snowboarding/|title=Canada's Max Parrot wins bronze in men's Big Air snowboarding|date=15 February 2022|website=www.sportsnet.ca|publisher=Sportsnet|access-date=18 February 2022}}</ref>

Following the 2022 Olympics, Parrot announced he would be taking a break from competition for the 2022–2023 season but would continue training.<ref name="OlympicTalk">{{Cite web |last=OlympicTalk |date=2022-12-07 |title=Max Parrot the latest snowboard star to take competition break |url=https://olympics.nbcsports.com/2022/12/07/max-parrot-snowboarding-break/ |access-date=2023-05-28 |website=OlympicTalk {{!}} NBC Sports |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Personal life== On January 17, 2019, Parrot announced he had been diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma on December 21, 2018, and that he had started a six-month course of chemotherapy.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/canadian-snowboarder-max-parrot-1.4981689 |title=Canadian snowboarder Max Parrot diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma |publisher=CBC Sports |date=January 17, 2019 |accessdate=January 17, 2019}}</ref> Parrot announced that he had beaten Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2019 and returned to competition that year.<ref>{{cite news |title= Three years after beating cancer, Max Parrot goes home with an Olympic gold medal |author= Scott Stinson |url= https://nationalpost.com/sports/olympics/scott-stinson-three-years-after-beating-cancer-max-parrot-goes-home-with-an-olympic-gold-medal |website= National Post |date= February 7, 2022}}</ref> Parrot filmed a documentary, MAX- Life as a gold medal, about his experience with cancer as well as becoming a spokesperson for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Tulloch |first1=Ashlee |last2=Binner |first2=Andrew |date=20 February 2022 |title=Max Parrot: Cancer reshaped my life for the better |url=https://olympics.com/en/news/max-parrot-how-cancer-reshaped-my-life-for-better |website=Olympics}}</ref> Parrot is engaged to his fiancée, Kayla, with whom he has two sons: Blake, born May 2022, and Louka, born December 2023.<ref name="OlympicTalk"/>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * {{sports links|properties=-P4893}} * {{X Games|new_id=max-parrot|old_id=3019194}} * {{Instagram}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parrot, Maxence}} Category:1994 births Category:Living people Category:Canadian male snowboarders Category:Olympic snowboarders for Canada Category:People from Cowansville Category:Sportspeople from Montérégie Category:Snowboarders at the 2014 Winter Olympics Category:Snowboarders at the 2018 Winter Olympics Category:Snowboarders at the 2022 Winter Olympics Category:Medalists at the 2018 Winter Olympics Category:Medalists at the 2022 Winter Olympics Category:X Games competitors Category:Olympic gold medalists for Canada Category:Olympic silver medalists for Canada Category:Olympic bronze medalists for Canada Category:Olympic medalists in snowboarding Category:Laureus World Sports Awards winners Category:21st-century Canadian sportsmen