In a thrilling display of athleticism at Milano Cortina 2026, Canada’s Eliot Grondin secured a silver medal in the men’s snowboard cross, closely trailing behind Austria’s Alessandro Haemmerle. The event mirrored their intense rivalry from the 2022 Winter Olympics, where Haemmerle edged out Grondin by a mere 0.02 seconds. This time, the margin was slightly more significant, with Grondin finishing just 0.03 seconds behind Haemmerle.
Grondin expressed his pride in maintaining a podium presence at consecutive Olympic Games, noting, “Not many people can do back-to-back podiums in the Olympics. I nearly won just twice in a row. I just got silver twice. It shows we’ve been on top of the sport for a little while now.” This win contributed to Canada’s medal tally at these Olympics, bringing their total to six with three silvers and three bronzes.
Earlier in the day, fellow Canadian athlete Mikael Kingsbury also narrowly missed the gold in men’s moguls, ending up with silver following a tiebreaker against Australia’s Cooper Woods, both athletes finishing with identical scores.
In the snowboard cross final, Grondin initially seized the lead but was ultimately unable to maintain it against Haemmerle’s surge toward the finish line. “Super tight race,” he commented. “I have no regrets. I had fun. For sure, we wanted gold. But having silver is not so bad either.”
Reflecting on his race strategy, Grondin mentioned he intended to hold back early on before making a late push, stating that he struggled to execute this plan as he found himself gaining too much speed. “The problem is I was having too much speed behind (him). I was trying to slow down and stay back and I just couldn’t,” he explained.
At just 24 years old, Grondin has already amassed three Olympic medals, showcasing his consistent presence at the top level of the sport. He also earned a bronze in the 2022 team event alongside Meryeta O’Dine, solidifying his status as a formidable competitor on the Olympic stage. The results at Milano Cortina highlight not only Grondin’s talent but also Canada’s resilience and strength in winter sports.