According to the Canadian Press on Saturday, Eliot Grondin of Levis, Quebec won the silver medal at a World Cup men’s snowboard cross competition in Chiesa in Valmalenco, Italy on Saturday. For Grondin, this was his second career World Cup medal.
Glenn de Blois of the Netherlands won the gold medal. Lorenzo Sommariva of Italy won the bronze medal. This was the first World Cup men’s snowboard cross competition of the season. For de Blois, it was not only his first World Cup victory of his career, but his World Cup medal.
Grondin won all three of his races before reaching the big final. In his first-round race, quarterfinals, semifinals, and big final, he got by Sommariva to the finish line.
Grondin’s previous World Cup medal was a silver medal at the Big White Ski Resort in Kelowna, British Columbia. At this competition on January 25, 2020, Grondin placed behind Omar Visintin of Italy. Alex Deibold of the United States won the bronze.
This was the first of two World Cup men’s snowboard cross competitions in Italy this weekend. Alessandro Hammerle of Austria won the gold medal on Sunday.
In the 2020-21 World Cup men’s snowboard cross standings, Grondin is in third place with 112 points. De Blois leads with 129 points and Hammerle is in second with 120 points. The bronze medal for Grondin will give him confidence as he prepares for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing.
