Eliot Grondin

Biography

Eliot Grondin was a double medallist during his second Olympic appearance at Beijing 2022. He started with a silver medal in the men’s snowboard cross event, coming just short of the victory in a photo finish. He then teamed with Meryeta O’Dine to win bronze in the first Olympic mixed team snowboard cross event. 

Grondin was just 16 years old when he made his Olympic debut at PyeongChang 2018. He was the youngest man and second-youngest athlete on all of Team Canada at those Games. 

In August 2018, Grondin won the silver medal in men’s snowboard cross at the FIS Junior World Championships, a result he would repeat in 2019 not long after his debut at the senior FIS World Championships. In 2021, he stood on the podium at both the senior and junior world championships. First came his bronze medal at the senior worlds in Idre Fjall, Sweden. At 19, he was the youngest ever world championship medallist in men’s snowboard cross. That was followed a month later by his gold medal at the junior worlds as he became Canada’s first ever world junior champion in men’s snowboard cross.   

Grondin had been set to make his World Cup debut in March 2017 in Veysonnaz, Switzerland, but on the morning of the qualification round, he broke his forearm during a crash in training, ending his season. Six months later, Grondin made his return to competition and his World Cup debut in Cerro Catedral, Argentina to kick off the 2017-18 season. 

In January 2020, Grondin earned his first World Cup podium as he won the silver medal in Big White, B.C. That had come just a couple of weeks after he qualified for his first World Cup ‘big final’ and won his first World Cup ‘small final’. His next World Cup medal was a silver in Chiesa in Valmalenco, Italy in January 2021, followed in March by his first career World Cup victory in Bakuriani, Georgia. That helped him finish 2020-21 ranked second overall in the World Cup men’s snowboard cross standings.  

Grondin added three more World Cup podiums to his resume in 2021-22, winning silver in Cervinia, Italy in December, bronze in Krasnoyark, Russia in January and gold in Veysonnaz, Switzerland in March. 

A Little More About Eliot

Getting into the Sport: Started snowboarding at age 4 and entered his first competition at age 8, which he won… Initially started snowboarding with hopes of imitating 2006 Olympic halfpipe champion Shaun White… Inspired by the success of two-time Olympic medallist Dominique Maltais… Outside Interests: Enjoys mountain biking, going to the gym and being outdoors… Odds and Ends: Favourite motto: “Go big or go home”…