From Uganda’s tradition-bucking netball player Peace Proscovia to Queen of the South’s firefighting hero Mikey Doyle, half a dozen sportspeople who went under the radar
In March 2017 Mark McMorris attempted a routine jump on a training run in Whistler. This one, though, he slightly misjudged, launching himself straight into some trees. He broke his jaw, left arm, pelvis and several ribs – 17 fractures in all. He ruptured his spleen and collapsed a lung. He was airlifted to hospital, had two operations and was placed in a medically induced coma. Eleven months later the Canadian was on a podium in Pyeongchang, celebrating bronze in the men’s slopestyle. While McMorris appears not to have grasped one key lesson of his accident – flinging yourself into the air at high speed on an uncertain trajectory near woodland is not wise – the bravery that propelled his comeback was humbling. “I was so close to not being able to snowboard again,” he said. “I wish it hadn’t happened, but now it’s so cool that so many people have reached out and said, ‘You’ve helped me through this part of my life.’ Being able to inspire others is better than any medal.”
Written by Simon Burnton
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/dec/29/the-joy-of-six-unsung-sporting-heroes-2018 under the title “The Joy of Six: unsung sporting heroes of 2018”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
