Chiba Mone: Éliot Grondin Claims Silver in Snowboard Cross at Milan Cortina Games
Canadian Éliot Grondin added another silver medal to his collection at the Milan Cortina Games, finishing just behind Austria’s Alessandro Haemmerle in a nail-biting snowboard cross final. This marks the second consecutive Olympics where Grondin has been edged out for gold by a mere fraction of a second – two one-hundredths in Beijing, and three one-hundredths this time around.
“I feel pretty good. Not many people here have two silver medals,” said the 24-year-old from Ste-Marie, Que., who also secured a bronze in the mixed team event four years ago. “Obviously I wanted gold. It was really close – again. But it was a good week. I had fun. I have no regrets. I did my best. At the end that’s all I could do.”
A Veteran Champion
The 32-year-old Haemmerle, a veteran of four Olympics, joins Pierre Vaultier of France as a repeat Olympic snowboard cross champion. Grondin acknowledged Haemmerle’s experience, stating, “Haemmerle’s a double Olympic champion but he’s been doing it for I don’t know how many years. So he has the experience. And he’s had those races where he probably wanted to bang his head against the wall. You just have to learn from it and become a better athlete.”
Austrian Jakob Dusek rounded out the podium with a bronze medal.
The Thrill of Snowboard Cross
Snowboard cross is a high-octane sport, with four racers battling it out down an icy course at speeds exceeding 80 km/h. The Livigno Snow Park course, at 1,110 metres long with a 154-metre vertical drop, proved challenging, featuring photo finishes, disqualifications, and crashes.
A Close Race to the Finish
The final saw Grondin competing against Dusek, rising French star Aidan Chollet, and Haemmerle. Grondin, known for his fast starts, was matched by Chollet, who took an early lead. The race remained frenetic, with all four athletes vying for the front position as they approached the final jump.
While Grondin briefly took the lead, it was Haemmerle who ultimately carried the most speed off the jump, securing the win. All three medallists ended up on the snow after a lunging finish. “I think maybe 15 metres less, then it would have been different,” mused Grondin. “But that’s life.”
Strategic Race Approach
Grondin explained his strategy, saying he allowed Chollet to take the lead, hoping to make a pass later in the race. However, he struggled with the timing. “I was arriving always too early with too much speed, so that was the problem,” he said. “Maybe I should been a more patient at the top, let the gap grow a little more and then come with more momentum.”
Silver for Canada, and Kingsbury Too
The day also saw Canadian moguls ace Mikael Kingsbury, a close friend of Grondin’s, win silver at the Livigno Aerials and Moguls Park, adding to Canada’s medal count.
Grondin’s Journey to the Podium
Grondin’s performance in the seeding run was impressive, clocking a time of 1:06.75, only to be surpassed by Chollet’s 1:06.37. This earned both racers the red bib, granting them lane selection throughout the knockout rounds. Grondin cruised through the first three knockout rounds, consistently placing ahead of Haemmerle.
Grondin’s Olympic journey began in 2018, where he finished 36th. Since then, he has risen to prominence, winning back-to-back Crystal Globes in 2023-24 and 2024-25. Canada now boasts eight Olympic medals in snowboard cross (one gold, four silver, and three bronze).
Learn more about the Canada Snowboard team and their accomplishments.
