The youngest male member of the Canadian team, Éliot Grondin was virtually unknown when he competed in the PyeongChang Olympics in snowboard cross. Invited at the last minute, the 16-year-old had suffered elimination in the round of 16, after a fall.
Being the youngest competitor in South Korea hadn’t affected him. “It doesn’t bother me,” he said at the bottom of the course. The experience will come, it will happen quickly. In the next few years, I will be at the top of the podium. ”
What could have been taken for a joke at the time is today far from being exaggerated. “At that time, I said it a bit like that, but with the work that has been done, of course I can believe it”, said Grondin, joined in Austria, where he put the last touches on its preparation for the next season.
PHOTO ARCHIVES THE CANADIAN PRESS
Éliot Grondin (second overall in snowboard cross), Austrian Allessandro Haemmerle (first) and French Merlin Surget (third) at the World Cup in Veysonnaz, Switzerland on March 20, 2021
Since his Olympic baptism, the athlete from Sainte-Marie, in Beauce, has experienced tremendous progress. Author of a first World Cup victory, he finished the season second overall last winter. At the World Championships in Idre Fjäll, Sweden, he won bronze. He ended it all in style with a first world title among juniors after two silver medals.
“If you had told me that in 2018, I would have laughed a little. At the same time, I had the chance to be very well surrounded, as much on the snow as with my coach in physical preparation, mental preparation, everything that is physio, masso, etc. I really have a great team around me, at home and on the road. It helped my progress. ”
The attitude also plays a role for those who started very small on the slopes of Vallée-Jonction before transporting their board to Mont Orignal, in Lac-Etchemin.
I like to push my limits and improve myself. I had a really big season, but I want to do even better. I’ve always had this little desire to be better.
Eliot Gurnard
While training on the Pitztal glacier, at an altitude of more than 3000 m, Grondin was able to measure the distance traveled during the off-season. At 20, his growth is not over.
“I had a big summer training at the gym. I am stronger, that goes without saying. I am older too, I am maturing. It helps and it makes a difference when I embark on the snow. I can’t wait to see what it will be like in the first race. ”
Discover China
This first World Cup meeting will take place from November 26 to 28 at the Olympic site of Secret Garden, on the outskirts of Beijing. On November 21, he was traveling to the Chinese capital with the other members of the circuit on a chartered flight from Germany, which will save the entire group a 21-day quarantine. The Quebecer is curious to find out what awaits him there.
“We don’t really know how it’s going to turn out. How free are we going to be, what we can do, what not to do? What will the food be? I have never been to China. It will be good to have a first experience before going back there for the Games. ”
PHOTO BERNARD BRAULT, PRESS ARCHIVES
Éliot Grondin at the PyeongChang Games, in 2018
The Olympic course “may be quite big”, which is not to displease him. “Apparently it’s pretty impressive. Small courses are a lot less fun. Being scared when you’re in the gate, the little stress, and getting into the jumps super quickly, it’s always fun. ”
Six stages of the World Cup are on the program before the Beijing Olympics, for which Grondin has yet to qualify.
“Like last year, I mainly aim for consistency, to reach the grand final in each race. [les quatre premiers]. I don’t really set myself a target for results. I think about things that I want to accomplish. By completing them as I want, the rest will follow. I trust my team and our plan. The job is done, I just have to run and go fast. ”
In short
The influence of champions
When he was younger, Grondin did not miss a World Cup in Stoneham, even if it meant missing school. He saw Dominique Maltais and Maelle Ricker, the two best snowboard cross specialists in Canadian history, shine there. The two women also played a leading role in his journey. For a few years, when he trained at Mont Orignal, Maltais came to train him. “She’s a childhood idol and I had the chance to hang out with her for a few years,” he says of the two-time Olympic medalist. Gold medalist in Vancouver in 2010, Ricker is now an assistant coach with Canada Snowboard and Grondin is one of her proteges.
Attracted by speed
Specialists in acrobatic descent, high jump and halfpipe abound in Canada. Why did you choose snowboard cross? “I have always liked to go fast, answers Grondin, who frequently exceeds 90 km / h in competition. The fact of being several in a course at the same time, it added a little rush, adrenaline. I have always enjoyed it. And pushing the boundaries of the course is fun. ”
Meet at Mont Sainte-Anne
Despite the last minute notice, his father and older brother were able to attend Eliot Grondin’s competition at the PyeongChang Olympics. Her mother, who operated a family day care center, was unable to free herself. In Beijing, none of them will be able to be there, China prohibiting the presence of foreign spectators. “They will come to see me at the next ones”, philosophized Éliot. At least, his relatives will have the chance to applaud him at the first World Cup after the Olympics since it will take place at Mont Sainte-Anne, from February 25 to 27.