Canada picked up its fifth and sixth medals of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Day 6, landing two silvers in Livigno. Both came in tight finishes that left Canadians just short of the top step of the podium.
Eliot Grondin back on the podium in snowboard cross
Snowboarder Eliot Grondin won silver in the men’s snowboard cross, finishing behind Austria’s Alessandro Haemmerle.
It is Grondin’s third Olympic medal. The 24-year-old from Ste-Marie, Que., also won silver in the same event at Beijing 2022, where he again finished second to Haemmerle.
“A lot of emotion, for sure,” Grondin said after the race. He called Haemmerle one of his biggest rivals and said he was proud of how he rode, even if Canada arrived chasing gold.
Mikael Kingsbury loses gold on a tiebreak in moguls
Earlier in the day, freestyle skiing star Mikael Kingsbury claimed silver in men’s moguls after an unusually close finish.
Kingsbury, 33, from Deux-Montagnes, Que., matched Australia’s Cooper Woods with an identical score of 83.71 in the final. Woods won the gold on the tiebreak because he earned higher marks for turns.
“I feel amazing. I’m very happy with my skiing,” Kingsbury said. He added that the tiebreak went against him, but he was proud of the work that led to the medal.
The silver is Kingsbury’s fourth Olympic medal. His previous results include gold at Pyeongchang 2018 and bronzes at Beijing 2022 and Sochi 2014.
Mackie places eighth as Sweden goes one-two
In Tesero, Edmonton’s Alison Mackie finished eighth in the women’s 10-kilometre interval start. She was 1:17.9 back of Sweden’s Frida Karlsson.
Karlsson led a Swedish one-two finish ahead of Ebba Andersson. American Jessie Diggins took bronze.
Women’s hockey responds with a shutout win
Canada’s women’s hockey team rebounded with a 5-0 victory over Finland, playing without captain Marie-Philip Poulin due to injury.
Emily Clark scored twice. Jennifer Gardiner, Daryl Watts and Kristin O’Neill also found the net.
Canada will face Germany in the quarterfinals on Saturday.
Men’s hockey set for an opening test with NHL stars back
Canada’s men’s hockey team opens against Czechia in Milan, with NHL players competing at the Olympics for the first time since 2014.
Sidney Crosby is chasing a third Olympic gold medal. Connor McDavid is set to make his Olympic debut.
More medals possible on the ice in Milan
Canada could add to its total again in short-track speed skating. After winning silver in the mixed team relay, the team is set to chase medals in the women’s 500-metre and men’s 1,000 finals in Milan.
Two silvers in Livigno kept Canada’s momentum going on Day 6. The margins were thin, but the podium visits added up fast as the schedule moved toward hockey knockouts and more speed skating finals
