snowboardcross | Eliot Grondin dominates qualifying

(Zhangjiakou) Beauceron Eliot Grondin dominated the snowboard cross qualifications at the Beijing Olympics on Thursday.

Grondin, who is taking part in his second Olympic Games, easily negotiated the course of the Genting snow park in Zhangjiakou to conclude his qualifying heat in one minute, 16.29 seconds, the best time of this round by 71 hundredths. He beat a trio of Austrians formed by Julian Lüftner, Jakob Dusek and Alessandro Haemmerle, silver medalist at the 2021 Worlds.

Fellow Canadian Liam Moffatt of Truro, Nova Scotia has his side on 13^and better time. Kevin Hill of Vernon, B.C. needed his second run to place 26^and in view of the eighth, scheduled for later Thursday.

Grondin, only 20 years old, had taken the 36^and rank at the PyeongChang Games. The bronze medalist of the last Snowboard Worlds is a medal hope in this discipline.

Aged 24, Moffatt is participating in his first Olympics. He finished eighth at the 2021 Worlds, presented to Idre Fjall, Sweden.

A 35-year-old veteran, Hill is in his third Games. He finished eighth in Sochi and 14^and in PyeongChang. Hill won silver at the 2015 Worlds and bronze two years later. He concluded in 15^and position in 2021.