Grondin, O'Dine among 13 snowboarders named to Canada's Olympic team

Olympic medallists Éliot Grondin and Meryeta O'Dine newspaper headline Canada's snowboard traverse team up for the Milano-Cortina Games.

Canada Snowboard and the canadian river Olympic citizens committee announced the 13 snowboard cross, half pipe and parallel giant slalom athletes heading to the Games in a joint release Thursday.

Grondin, the reigning men's snowboard cross world champion and two-time World Cup Crystal Globe winner from Sainte-Marie, Que., won silver in the event at the 2022 Beijing Games, while O'Dine, from Prince George, B.C., won bronze in the women's event. The two then teamed up to win bronze in the mixed team event.

Liam Moffat, Evan Bichon, Tess Critchlow and Audrey McManiman join Grondin and O'Dine in snowboard cross.

Canada's Éliot Grondin captures 1st World Cup snowboard cross medal of the season

Elizabeth Hosking leads three women in snowboard halfpipe. She won a world championship silver medal in 2023 and won a World Cup gold medal in Calgary earlier this month.

Hosking is joined by Brooke D'Hondt and Felicity Geremia.

Kaylie Buck, Arnaud Gaudet, Ben Heldman and Aurelie Moisan represent Canada in parallel giant slalom.

Canada's snowboard slopestyle and big air teams were announced last week.

The parallel giant slalom event will take place Feb. 8 (Day 2), while snowboard halfpipe will begin on Feb. 11 (Day 5) with qualification, and the women's final on Feb. 12 (Day 6).

The individual snowboard cross events will happen on Feb. 12 and 13 (Days 6 and 7), with the mixed team event on Feb. 15 (Day 9).

Snowboard events will take place at the Livigno Snow Park.

Seven of eight athletes on Canada's biathlon team will make their Olympic debuts at the Milano-Cortina Winter Games.

The athletes announced Thursday by Biathlon Canada will race Feb. 8-21 at the Ansterselva Biathlon Arena, which is 65 kilometres north of Cortina near the Austrian border.

Calgary's Adam Runnalls is the lone biathlete on the team with previous Olympic experience having represented Canada in Beijing in 2022.

Ottawa's Zachary Connelly, Regina's Logan Pletz, Calgary's Pascale Paradis, Jasper Fleming of Squamish, B.C., Nadia Moser of Whitehorse, Benita Peiffer of Whistler, B.C. And Shilo Rousseau of Thessalon, Ont., round out the Canadian squad.

Canada has won three Olympic biathlon medals, all by Myriam Bedard in 1992 and 1994.

Men's biathlon has been part of the Olympic program since Squaw Valley 1960, while women's biathlon made its debut at Albertville 1992.

Runnalls contributed to a men's relay team that finished sixth in 2022 for the country's best result in the event.

"Being named a two-time Olympic team member is a powerful reminder of the commitment and consistency it takes to compete at the highest level of my sport," Runnalls said Thursday in a statement.

"The race venue is a place where I've achieved all of my personal bests, which gives me a lot of confidence. I've been building toward this Olympics my entire career, and I can't wait to give it everything I have."

The 27-year-old has twice finished in the top 20 in individual races at the Olympic venue during his career.

A broken ankle prevented Moser from competing in the 2022 Olympic Games.

Paradis raced in her first world championship last year and contributed to a pair of top-10 results by the women's relay on the World Cup circuit last season.

The team will be coached by Andrew Chisolm and Helene Jorgensen and supported by five wax technicians.

"Biathlon is one of the purest tests of mind-body connection in sport — pushing all-out endurance, then demanding total calm and precision on the range," said Canada's chef de mission Jenn Heil.

"With seven first-time Olympic team members and veteran Adam leading the team, it's going to be a special Olympic experience in Anterselva, where biathlon is truly beloved."

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