ZHANGJIAKOU, China — Eliot Grondin easily won all but one snowboard cross race on Thursday. But it's the race where he placed second that he enjoyed the most.
Grondin won silver in men's snowboard cross at the Beijing Olympics, coming 0.02 seconds behind Austria's Alessandro Hämmerle in a photo finish. It was the only time the product of Sainte-Marie, Que., had trailed anyone all day.
"It's probably one of the most fun heats all day. All the others I was out front, leading and trying to control and just to be challenged by Alessandro and super tight all the way down it was just so fun," said Grondin, who embraced all of his Canadian coaches and teammates after he descended from the podium.
"I had so much fun racing (Hämmerle) and I'm so happy."
Grondin had the early lead in the big final but Hämmerle cut in front near the midway point of the race and then the Canadian had to give chase. Grondin had almost caught up as the finish line approached, so he flung his legs forward to try and get his board across the checkered line before Hämmerle.
That last ditch effort created a mist of snow that enveloped spectators at the bottom of the hill.
"I mean, I tried everything I had. I was coming back slowly on (Hämmerle) with the draft," said Grondin. "I had the feeling it wasn't going to be enough but I also didn't know where the other two guys were, so I still pushed and tried to get as close as possible to him."
Hämmerle had seen Grondin's dominant performance through the seeding, 1/8 finals, quarterfinals, and semifinals and knew that he would have to give it his all to beat the Canadian.
The Austrian said he knew Grondin was closing in on him in the dying seconds of the race but only saw how close it was when the photo finish was put up on the video screen at Zhangjiakou Genting Snow Park.
“Looking back and seeing the video, I didn’t realize it was this close," said Hämmerle. "I was shocked at the first moment and saw where the video was coming in, and it was a huge relief."
Italy's Omar Visintin won bronze and Austria's Julian Lueftner was fourth.
Kevin Hill of Vernon, B.C., and Liam Moffatt of Londonderry, N.S., were both eliminated in the 1/8 final.
The 35-year-old Hill said after the race that this would be his final Olympics after competing in three Games.
"It's sad to say it but I've got to make some money," said Hill, who placed eighth in 2014 at Sochi and 14th at Pyeongchang in 2018. "So, working really hard (is what's next.)Â
"I think if I move on from snowboarding and chase entrepreneurship and building my own business, I can make some good money."
At just 20 years old and competing in his second Olympics, Grondin wants more. He said that Thursday's silver-medal performance showed him that he belongs on the podium at any event, whether it's a World Cup event or at the Olympics, and winning a gold medal at a Winter Games remains his goal.
"I'm going to keep doing this sport," said Grondin, who finished 36th at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games when he was a16. "I have fun every year doing it so I'm gonna keep doing this for as long as I love it."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 10, 2022.
John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press
