ELIOT GRONDIN WINS BATAILLE ROYALE GOLD
Bataille Royale FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup presented by Toyota & Swatch
March 25, 2023 – Mont Sainte-Anne, QC – From the small town of Beaupre, QC the resort of Mount Sainte Anne was met with high intensity racing and a passionate hometown crowd. The Bataille Royale FIS Snowboard World Cup presented by Toyota and Swatch was on and the fans roared, cheering on the Canadians competing among the international field.
It was local hometown hero Eliot Grondin (CAN) who held onto the lead, and won the gold medal for Canada making it his 3rd World Cup victory, and 8th career World Cup medal. No shortage of excitement on the 1.2 kilometer , 20+ feature course which saw Eliot Grondin and Jakob Dusek (AUT) nearly collide going for the top spot, with Dusek launching himself inverted at the finish line for silver. Following in hot pursuit was Lucas Eguibar (ESP) who edged out Lorenzo Sommariva (ITA) for the bronze medal.
On the women’s side it was Great Britain’s Charlotte Bankes who surprised everyone making her way from 4th position all the way to 1st, drafting through the rollers to take the gold in the very last section. In a photo finish it was Chloe Trespeuch (FRA) to take silver, and Lindsey Jacobellis from the USA with bronze, Faye Gulini (USA) in 4th.
Canadian Rider Highlights
Mackenzie, BC native Evan Bichon (CAN) showed an incredible display of talent with spontaneous passes throughout the day, placing 12th to tie his best career finish in a World Cup. Colby Graham (CAN) from Prince George, BC walked away in 17th, also to this best World Cup career finish. Audrey McManiman (CAN) from Saint-Ambroise-de-Kildare, QC didn’t have luck on her side on this day and after qualifying in first in the time trials a day earlier she went down with another rider in quarter finals on a berm in an unsuspecting fall, with 16th place.
We do it all again tomorrow, this time with extra rounds of racing amplifying the opportunities for the fast flying action.
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