Éliot Grondin ended the Snowboard Cross World Cup season strong on Sunday in Veysonnaz, Switzerland, with his first victory this year.
Faced with three Frenchmen in the final, Grondin managed a tough overtaking in the penultimate corner to head for his second career victory in the World Cup after his success in March 2021, in Bukuriani, Georgia.
“It was not easy in Austria last week with an eighth place and it feels good to end the season with a victory, underlined the native of Sainte-Marie-de-Beauce while celebrating the end of the season with his teammates at the top of the mountain. It will give me a good motivation for summer training. »
If the presence of three Frenchmen at his side represented a disadvantage at first glance, the 20-year-old snowboarder was able to take advantage of the situation.
“They’re good friends and we spend all winter training together,” he said. During the two days of training in Switzerland, I got to know their racing lines, which allowed me to make good decisions at the right time. »
“Knowing what Merlin Surget was going to do, I knew I had to go left in the penultimate corner to be on the inside in the last to secure first place, to chase the two-time Beijing Olympics medalist . We found ourselves face to face. I was able to reduce his speed and I didn’t slow down. It was not an easy run due to the soft snow. »
Contact at departure
Grondin expected the French to use strategy to slow him down at the start.
“I expected that there would be contact at the start,” he said. Because they wanted to slow me down, I knew there would be contact in the first corner and I was ready. Our boards touched and I too could have fallen. I closed the door to him and I had priority since I was ahead. »
This contact ended the race for Loan Bozzobo who crashed and finished in fourth place.
Satisfactory season
Although he missed his goal of winning the Crystal Globe, Grondin is satisfied with his season. With 347 points, he finished the season in fourth place, having taken second place last year.
“I’m really happy with my season,” he said. My first objective was to perform well at the Olympic Games, an event that takes place every four years, underlined the Beauceron who won silver in the individual event and bronze in the mixed event in Beijing. After a more difficult start to the season, it was the icing on the cake to win two medals at the Games. »
“Even if the Crystal Globe was my second goal, I’m not really disappointed,” continued Grondin. At 20, I have several years left to win the Globe. I made choices to maximize my chances at the Games. I withdrew from the Italy World Cup because I thought the course was a bit dangerous. I didn’t want to take the risk of hurting myself. »