Cross, Men

Pierre Vaultier was the two-time defending gold medalist, but he had retired and was not back. The six World Cup events in the 2021/22 season had been won by three boarders – Austrians Alessandro Hämmerle (2) and Jacob Dusek (1), and Germany’s Martin Nörl (3). Nörl was likely the favorite, having won the last three World Cup races, . Another challenge was expected to come from Canadian Éliot Grondin, the 2021 Worlds bronze medalist.

Grondin led the seeding round with Dusek and Hämmerle third and fourth, respectively, behind their teammate, Julian Lüftner. Grondin seemed dominant, winning all three rounds on his way to the final, where he was joined by Hämmerle, Lüftner, and Italy’s Omar Visintin, who was coming back from a two-month enforced absence after a concussion, a dislocated left elbow, and a ruptured tendon after a crash during the second World Cup event of 2021/22 season. Nörl went out in the quarter-finals, finishing third in his heat behind Hämmerle and 2021 World Champion Lucas Eguibar of Spain.

The final was close with Hämmerle taking gold in a photo-finish over Grondin, as Visintin completed his comeback with bronze. Hämmerle and Grondin would return at MiCo 2026 and repeat their gold-silver finish. Grondin’s silver medal made him the youngest ever medalist in snowboard cross at 20-297.