Reece Howden, the Crystal Globe series points champion from Cultus Lake, did his part in the Big Final, winning the men’s race, but only by the slightest of margins. Just 16 hundreds of a second separated first from fourth. In the mixed team event, the women wait in the start gate and the gate drops as soon as their male partner crosses the finish. Gairns hung within striking distance of the leaders for the entire race and was in third place behind Fanny Smith of Switzerland and was right on the tail of second place Sandra Naeslund of Sweden as the skiers approached the bottom part of the course.
Tiana Gairns of Prince George leads the pack as she heads down the course in her heat on her way to a 17th-place result at a World Cup ski cross race in Arosa, Switzerland. Gairns, 22, is now ranked 19th in the world standings. - Handout photo
Tiana Gairns of Prince George is tucked in right behind Sandra Naeslund of Sweden in her heat race at the ski cross world championships Feb. 13 in Idre Fjall, Sweden. Gairns, who qualified fifth for the race, placed 13th overall, while Naeslund went on to claim the gold medal on her home course. Gairns was fifth in Friday s World Cup qualifying in Bakuriani, Georgia.
Eguibar edged Haemmerle at the finish for the win. I haven t yet realized what just happened, Grondin said. I ended up in the final against two of the guys who were my childhood heroes (Eguibar and Haemmerle). I had the chance to race against them, and I ended up on the podium with them. It s kinda crazy. I would say that I feel a bit like I m in a dream right now.
Grondin competed at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics as a 16-year-old, finishing 36th. He was the youngest man on Canada s Olympic team.
Grondin had a second-place finish in one of only two World Cup races this season before the world championship.