Elliot Grundin and Merita Odin take bronze in the team cross on ice

Expectations were high for Elliot Grundin and Merita Odin, both singles event medalists.

Grondin was simply dominant from beginning to end of this first introduced event in the Olympic programme. His impressive starts allowed him to win his first two races of the day. In the final, he stunned after a jump to take third place, 23 milliseconds behind the leader, American Nick Baumgartner.

Everyone held their breath at the last landing. Merita Odin shared the fall with Italian Katrina Carpano. However, the Canadian managed to rise more quickly to win the bronze medal. In the lead, American Lindsey Jacobless defeated Italy’s Michela Mooli by twenty seconds to win her second gold medal at the Beijing Olympics.

Canada is the only country represented on all ice cross podiums. Merita Odin in the third step In the women’s final on Wednesday, whileElliot Grundin took the silver the next dayat the end of an amazing race.

Elliot Grundin finished third in his share of the final.

Photo: The Canadian Press / Sean Kilpatrick

Start with the right foot

The mixed team event in figure skating is new to the Olympic programme. Each formation has a man and a woman. Once the snowboarders complete their descent, their teammates take off. The opening of the starting gates is determined according to the times recorded by the first torchbearers.

Elliot Grundin and Merita Odin finished second for the first time in the quarter-finals under heavy snow at Genting Snow Park. Quebec quickly separated from the rest of the quartet to win. And so Merita Odin benefited from 3 seconds 96/100 at the start.

Her leadership did not hold up and Christina Paul of the British Columbian Republic of China was arrested. O’Dine was finally the second to cross the finish line, fourteen hundredths of a second after Paul.

Elliot Grundin and Merita Odin gave a great show in Beijing.

Photo: The Canadian Press / Sean Kilpatrick

20-year-old Grunden rocketed again during the semi-finals. Once again, the athlete from Sainte-Marie-de-Beauce took the lead from the start. Italian Lorenzo Sumareva tried to close the gap, but Grondin resisted 0.89 milliseconds.

In contrast, Merita Odin struggled with her Italian opponent. The score was decided when the photo was over and the win went to Katrina Carpano, but both got their tickets to the Grand Final.

Moffat and Critchlow were limited to one game

The other two Canadians, Liam Moffat and Tess Critchlow, finished third in the quarter-final race. Moffat was in the midst of a three-way battle with Austrian Alessandre Himerl and Italian Lorenzo Sumareva. Two days earlier, gold medalist Himmerley retained the lead, with the Canadian finishing second (+0.27s).

Tess Critchlow failed to protect this position. World champion Charlotte Banks, the last to start, was the fastest in that race.

This performance puts the duo Moffatt-Critchlow in ninth place.

Liam Moffat was 19th in the singles event, while Tess Critchlow was sixth.