Éliot Grondin and his teammate Meryeta Odine won the small final and placed fifth in the team competition presented on Saturday at the World Cup in Montafon, Austria. This is the best result for the Canadian duo who were only participating in this mixed snowboard cross event for the third time.
The maple leaf riders were dominant on their last outing of the day. Grondin first gave his team a lead by winning the men’s race. Then, Odine put the finishing touches by beating all her opponents at the women’s start to end the day on a high note.
Earlier, Canada’s representatives finished second in their quarter-final heat. However, they saw their podium hopes soar after the semi-final where they finished third.
Italians Michela Moioli and Lorenzo Sommariva were the fastest in the grand final and were crowned at the end of the event. They were accompanied on the podium by Czechs Eva Samkova and Jan Kubicik, as well as French Chloé Trespeuch and Quentin Sodogas.
Members of the national snowboard cross team will head to Italy in the coming days. They will play the Mont Cervin World Cup there, scheduled for next weekend.