Medals update: Austria's Alessandro Haemmerle nabs gold in men’s snowboard cross after wild finish
Alessandro Haemmerle of Austria won gold in the Beijing 2022 men’s snowboard cross on 10 February, edging out young Eliot Grondin of Canada (silver) and Italy's Omar Visintin (bronze) in a raucous big final that needed a photo finish to determine the podium.
Snowboard
The men’s snowboard cross big final here at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 delivered a new champion and the topsy-turvy unpredictability the discipline has become known – and beloved – for since making its Olympic debut in Torino in 2006.
The 28-year-old Alessandro Haemmerle topped the final field of four at the Genting Snow Park, scooping the gold that was won in PyeongChang four years ago by the now-retired Frenchman Pierre Vaultier.
"This feels so special right now," said the Austrian who only just missed out on the big final at those PyeongChang 2018 Games.
"It feels so great," he added. "For me the reward was already to be here [in the big final], giving it all I've got and knowing I could compete for a medal because in snowboard cross anything can happen."
Haemmerle becomes the first Austrian man to win a snowboard Olympic gold while Canada's silver-winner Eliot Grondin, at 20-years-old, is now the youngest-ever Olympic medallist in men's snowboard cross.
“I kind of knew I was going to be silver, but I tried everything I had," said the young Canadian after picking up a medal in his first Olympic Games. "Just to share the podium with Alessandro is amazing.
"When I say something, I usually want to achieve it, and when I was 12, I said that I wanted to win the Olympics," Grondin added. "I got silver today, so for sure I'm going to keep pushing and trying to get that gold at the next one."
Omar Visintin, with bronze, reached his first Winter Olympic podium (as did the entire top-three).
"This medal was so important to me," said the 32-year-old Italian. "I've waited so long and being on the podium today is just the greatest thing."
Several favourites crashed out of contention earlier in the competition.
USA’s three-time Olympian Mick Dierdorff, Martin Noerl of Germany, Australia’s Jarryd Hughes, the silver-medal winner from PyeongChang 2018, and the current world champion Lucas Eguibar of Spain all failed to reach the big final.
But Haemmerle, competing in his fourth Winter Games, was the model of speed and consistency in a notably unpredictable sport, cruising through the quarter and semi-finals before riding his speed and guile to top spot in the big final.
Men’s snowboard cross results
- 1 Alessandro Haemmerle (AUT)
- 2 Eliot Grondin (CAN)
- 3 Omar Visintin (ITA)