Eliot Grondin of St-Romauld, Quebec won his fourth career World Cup medal on Saturday in Cervinia, Italy. The 20-year-old placed second in a World Cup snowboard cross event.
Jakob Dusek of Austria won the gold medal and Lucas Eguibar of Spain won the bronze medal. In the eighth heat of the elimination round, Grondin finished second behind Hagen Kearney of the United States. Grondin then won his quarterfinal and semifinal heats before losing to Dusek in the Big Final.
Prior to finishing second to Dusek on Saturday, Grondin won the silver medal in a World Cup event at the Big White Ski Resort in Kelowna, British Columbia on January 25, 2020. That was followed by a World Cup silver medal in Chiesa in Valmalenco, Italy on January 23, 2021, and a World Cup gold medal in Bakuriani, Georgia on March 4, 2021.
In the 2021-22 World Cup standings, Grondin is currently in fourth place with 109 points. Alessandro Haemmerle of Austria leads with 245 points. Dusek is second with 166 points. Nick Baumgartner of the United States is in third place with 140 points.
The silver medal for Grondin will give confidence as he prepares for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. The Olympic men’s snowboard cross event takes place on February 15.
