Despite crash, McMorris wants the Olympics

Olympic bronze medallist Mark McMorris has begun his comeback from a lifethreatening snowboarding accident earlier this year.

The Regina native is working at a rehab centre in Burnaby, B.C., with the goal of recovering in time for the Pyeongchang Olympics in February, Canada Snowboard said in a release Wednesday.

McMorris suffered a broken jaw, broken left arm, ruptured spleen, stable pelvic fracture, rib fractures and a collapsed left lung when he crashed off a jump in the B.C. backcountry on March 25. He was airlifted from Whistler to Vancouver General Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery.

Damien Moroney, the director of rehabilitation and performance integration at Fortius Sport and Health in Burnaby, is overseeing McMorris’s rehab. He also helped the star recover from a broken rib before the Sochi Olympics, and from a broken left femur last year.

“Mark has amazing mental and physical resiliency,” said Moroney. “I am continually impressed with his commitment, focus, attitude and capacity in the gym at this stage of his recovery. He is fully engaged in the process of developing all the key pillars that underpin athlete performance in preparation for the demands of competitive snowboarding.”

Canada Snowboard executive director Patrick Jarvis said McMorris has made great strides over the past few months. “I am extremely pleased to see the progress that Mark is making on his rehabilitation,” said Jarvis. “His headway is not surprising to me as he is committed, focused and works hard.”

While it remains to be seen if the 23-year-old McMorris will recover in time to compete in South Korea, he has been assured a provisional spot on Canada’s team.