Canadian snowboard cross athlete Éliot Grondin secured a podium finish at a World Cup competition in Dongbeiya, China. Despite finishing behind Austria’s Jakob Dusek in the final, Grondin claimed a silver medal, with Australia’s Adam Lambert taking the bronze.
Grondin, the reigning world champion and last year’s men’s Crystal Globe winner on the World Cup circuit, achieved his first podium of the season and the 26th of his career. The 24-year-old from Sainte-Marie, Que., previously won a silver and bronze at the 2022 Beijing Olympics and will compete in the men’s snowboard cross event at the upcoming Milan Cortina Games on February 12 in Livigno, Italy.
Following Saturday’s event, Grondin moved up to second place in the overall discipline standings with 116 points, trailing Lambert by four points. Dusek is currently in third place, just three points behind Grondin.
Unfortunately, the only other Canadian participant, Evan Bichon from North Vancouver, B.C., was eliminated in the round of 16. In the women’s event, no Canadian athlete made it past the qualification round.
Grondin’s performance in Dongbeiya marked a significant improvement after finishing seventh in the previous World Cup event in Italy. The action will continue on Sunday in Dongbeiya, the last World Cup event before the Milano Cortina Winter Games, where Grondin aims to add a gold medal to his collection from Beijing 2022.
For those interested, live coverage of Sunday’s event can be viewed on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem starting at 12 a.m. ET.