Canada’s Eliot Grondin won the silver medal in a thrilling photo finish in men’s snowboard cross at the Beijing Winter Olympics on Thursday.
Grondin crossed the finish line just a fraction of a second behind Austria’s Alessandro Haemmerle, throwing himself across in the hopes of claiming the gold and prompting a delay in the final results as the judges reviewed the tape.
“I kind of knew I was going to be silver, but I tried everything I had,” he said.
“Just to share the podium with Alessandro is amazing.”
The 20-year-old native of Saint-Marie, Que., led the pack in every elimination round throughout the afternoon, setting himself up in a strong position for a medal.
He was once again leading the final four during the difficult first half of the course, only for Haemmerle to overtake him, forcing Grondin to play catch-up to the very end.
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Italy’s Omar Visintin took the bronze.
Fellow Canadians Kevin Hill and Liam Moffatt did not make it past the 1/8 finals earlier in the day.
It marks Canada’s second snowboard cross medal in as many days, after Meryeta O’Dine won bronze in the women’s event on Wednesday.
— with files from The Canadian Press.
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