Snowboarder Mark McMorris nominated 4th time for ESPY award

Canadian snowboarder Mark McMorris has once again been nominated for a ESPY (Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly) award.

Although the Olympic bronze-medallist has been nominated three previous times, he has yet to win the award, which is given out based on fan voting.

"It's truly an honour to be nominated for an ESPY and to represent Canada and snowboarding at such an amazing showcase of sport'" said McMorris. "I have my fingers crossed that the fourth time is the charm!"

The ESPYs will be presented at a ceremony in Los Angeles, hosted by NFL great Peyton Manning.

The nomination follows the end of a bittersweet season for McMorris, in which he came back from a broken femur to win three medals at the X Games, a Burton US Open Championship, a Dew Tour Championship, and two FIS Crystal Globes as the 2016-17 Big Air and overall freestyle World Cup champion.

Unfortunately, McMorris was badly injured during a backcountry snowboarding accident near Whistler, B.C., back in late March. News of the injury broke just a day before McMorris was announced as a part of the Olympic team for the Winter Games in Pyeongchang. 

The Regina native has been rehabilitating with specialists in Bunaby, B.C., and has posted photos on Instagram of himself skateboarding and paddleboarding.

"Mark has amazing mental and physical resiliency," said recovery specialist Damien Moroney said in a June press release. "I am continually impressed with his commitment, focus, attitude and capacity in the gym at this stage of his recovery.

Canadian Kadeisha Buchanan has also been nominated for an ESPY award for leading the West Virginia Univeristy soccer team to the NCAA finals this past season.