Canada’s Olympic snowboard slopestyle and big air team has been finalized with the inclusion of Mark McMorris, Laurie Blouin, Eli Bouchard, Francis Jobin, Juliette Pelchat, and Cameron Spalding.
Mark McMorris, hailing from Regina, is gearing up for his fourth Olympic appearance in Italy this February. The 32-year-old has clinched bronze in the men’s slopestyle event at the last three Winter Games.
Expressing his gratitude, McMorris shared, “It’s incredibly special to be representing Canada at my fourth Olympic Winter Games. Every time I get the opportunity to wear the maple leaf on the Olympic stage, it means a lot, and I’m grateful to still be competing at a level where I can do that.”
Laurie Blouin, a 29-year-old from Quebec City, is set for her third Olympic outing. She secured silver in the women’s slopestyle at the 2018 Olympics and currently holds the seventh spot in the World Snowboard points list.
While McMorris and Blouin bring experience, Spalding, Bouchard, Jobin, and Pelchat will make their Olympic debuts in Italy. Spalding, a 20-year-old from Havelock, Ont., claimed the FIS Crystal Globe in snowboard slopestyle for the 2024-25 season and is ranked seventh in the World Snowboard points list.
Unfortunately, reigning slopestyle world champion Liam Brearley, who had secured a spot on the Canadian Olympic team, will not be competing due to an injury requiring surgery.