(Reuters) – Canadian snowboarder Max Parrot stated on Friday that the psychological toughness he gained throughout his battle with cancer carried over to the slopes the place the slopestyle Pyeongchang silver medallist now hopes to go one higher and win gold on the Beijing Olympics.
Parrot’s profession was placed on maintain when he was recognized with Hodgkin lymphoma in December 2018. Two months after being declared cancer free in mid-2019, Parrot gained an X Games massive air gold medal in his return to competitors.
Showing no indicators of rust, Parrot additionally gained a World Cup gold later that 12 months and began off 2020 with one other massive air gold on the X Games in Aspen.
“Every 12 months I turn out to be higher and higher bodily and mentally, and particularly going by means of such an enormous problem as cancer you get actually extra mentally powerful,” Parrot informed a digital information convention.
“If you look again at my season proper after my cancer … It was just about my greatest 12 months ever.”
Parrot completed fifth in his Olympic debut on the 2014 Sochi Games earlier than a runner-up exhibiting at Pyeongchang.
The 27-year-old Canadian pre-qualified for the slopestyle/massive air workforce headed to Beijing based mostly on his outcomes from the 2020-21 winter season and isn’t shy about his intentions.
“Of course my aim is to go for the gold, that is for positive,” stated Parrot, whose cancer battle is chronicled in a documentary referred to as “MAX – Life as a Gold Medal” that was launched this week on his web site.
“But I’m actually blissful as nicely that if I do not get the gold I will not have any regrets as a result of I did every thing in my energy over the previous couple months and that was one thing essential for me as nicely, simply to not have any regrets.”
While there have been some days throughout Parrot’s cancer battle the place he questioned if he would ever return to the game he loves, he stated he by no means let these ideas take over.
“When I had cancer it was ‘OK, I’m going to do remedies, I’m going to do them as greatest as doable’ and even when I did not know if the remedies would work or not, in my thoughts cancer had no likelihood in opposition to me,” stated Parrot.
“I had plenty of dedication and motivation and the entire time I simply wished to get again to my ardour as quickly as doable. But by no means getting again to it was not likely an possibility in my head.”
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto, enhancing by Pritha Sarkar)
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