Austria's Alessandro Haemmerle wins men's snowboard cross gold at Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics

CHONGLI - Alessandro Haemmerle of Austria claimed the gold medal of men's snowboard cross at Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games here on Thursday.

Canadian Eliot Grondin, who won the bronze medal at the 2021 World Championships, bagged silver. Four-time Italian national champion Omar Visintin finished with the bronze medal.

"It feels great. For me the reward was already to be here (in the final), giving it all I've got and knowing I could compete for a medal because in snowboard cross anything can happen," said Haemmerle.

Three-time Olympian Haemmerle made his debut at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games and ranked seventh at Pyeongchang 2018.

"I still have that anger in me with (how it went in) PyeongChang, going out when I was in the semis on my way to the big final for a medal," he said.

Grondin battled it out until the finish line with Haemmerle but losing by centimeters. The 20-year-old expressed admiration to the champion who is eight years older than him.

"I kind of knew I was going to be silver, but I tried everything I had," he said. "Just to share the podium with Alessandro is amazing."

"He played a big part in my career and earlier this season we spent a lot of time in Europe. It gets harder mentally, and he just invited me over for a night like cooking food, and he's just a good friend of mine and to be able to battle a few rounds with him and be super tight and super clean racing is so fun," he added.