Grondin counts win not points as Cortina brings Crystal Globe clarity

Eliot Grondin (CAN) claims not to know, while the overall standings say the door has not yet shut on the others.

The bare reality, though, is that nothing except a Snowboard Cross miracle can now deny the Canadian a first Crystal Globe of his career after he raced to yet another FIS World Cup win under the lights of Cortina d’Ampezzo on Saturday evening.  

“I’m just super proud and excited to be able to podium here tonight,” Grondin said. “Today was really hard for me – I was struggling to find the speed early on. Somehow it just clicked before the semifinal.

“I mean, that’s win number five this season I believe? And a podium in every race. There’s still a few more races to go until the end.”

Grondin went quickest in qualification on Friday and was fastest out of the gates in the Big Final, opening up a sizeable lead on Jake Vedder (USA) before the American found his slipstream through an icy middle section hardened by the chill of late evening.

“I knew there was a big draft and I knew he was going to come up on my left side going into the last turn,” Grondin said. “I just played the game; I left it a bit open for him but the speed was on the right so I was (still) ahead on the exit. I’m pretty happy to lead from top to bottom, mostly staying in one piece while having fun.”

Despite forcing his way into a photo finish, Vedder’s eight-year wait for a FIS World Cup win continues.

“It came down to that final line and I think I just tried to squirt my board out a little too early,” Vedder said. “I’ll take it, second place is still good but man, I’m looking for that first win.

“Eliot is a very good rider but I was confident, I knew in my abilities up in the gate that it was my time today. I felt it in the morning (and) I was running good all day.”

Jarryd Hughes (AUS) had not even made a semifinal this season but he took third place in Cortina for only his fourth podium appearance in 55 World Cup starts. Rounding out the Big Final was Julien Tomas (FRA), who landed the wrong side of a roller to finish agonisingly short of a first World Cup podium of his career.

Podium perfect

It is hard to overstate the level of Grondin’s dominance of men’s Snowboard Cross this season. He now has five victories, two second places and a third place in the eight World Cups so far. More pertinently, only two riders can still catch him in the overall standings.

Alessandro Haemmerle (AUT) is the nearest, but he now trails by 378 points after finishing ninth in Cortina. The Austrian must win all four of the remaining races and hope Grondin places no higher than 13th in any one of them - while failing to show for the other three.

The picture is even bleaker for Cameron Bolton (AUS), who is 383 points behind with only 400 left to win.   

“I haven’t seen the numbers and I don’t even care, to be fair," Grondin said. "Yes, for sure I want the Globe but right now I’m not racing for it, I’m racing for me and I’m racing to have fun.

“Having fun is the part people forget and for me this year it was important to go back to the ‘Why?’ It seems to be working so far so we’ll just keep having fun and see where we can go from there.”

Similar notes were sounded on Saturday night by Charlotte Bankes (GBR), who claimed her third victory of the season to maintain the pressure on Chloe Trespeuch (FRA) in the race for the women’s Crystal Globe. 

Eva Adamczykova (CZE) started quickest in the Big Final and held a half-second lead on Bankes through the middle section, before the Brit used her slipstream to move past on the inside of the final bend. Local favourite Michela Moioli (ITA) came in third. 

“I did a really good start for me, and we knew it was about staying in the mix and using that straight line to make speed,” Bankes said.

“I came back on Eva way faster than I thought, I was a bit surprised and I was like, ‘OK, I’m going inside on bank four’. It wasn’t really the plan, but it worked out and I’m really happy."

“It’s been a tough week. I’ve had a few bruises and a bit of a sore knee so I’m really happy that we managed to make me fit to race today. To come away with a win is unbelievable really.”

Lea Casta (FRA) was left nursing bruised pride after clipping the board of Moioli and crashing out at the second corner of the Big Final, while Trespeuch had a rare off day, finishing last in both her semifinal and the Small Final.

The third place for Moioli trims her deficit to the French rider at the top of the standings to only 58 points, with Bankes now within one unanswered victory of the summit after being seemingly cut adrift as recently as January.

“We made a few changes and found solutions,” Bankes said of the turnaround in her fortunes. “We’ve worked really well as a team, and they’ve supported me to come back from the start of the season, which was really, really tough. Without them it wouldn’t be possible.

“It’s just about taking it race by race, having fun and giving it my best really.”

QUICK LINKS 

Cortina D'Ampezzo data page
Photos: Snowboard Cross Cortina D'Ampezzo
Full 2023/204 FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup Standings
Full 2023/24 FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup Calendar