The Crystal Globe is staying put in Canada.
Eliot Grondin of Sainte-Marie, Que., successfully defended his World Cup snowboard cross points championship with a second-place finish in Saturday’s race in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Que.
Grondin, who won the world championship a week ago in St. Moritz, Switzerland, lost his balance as he pushed across the finish and ended up three-hundredths of a second behind Jakob Dusek of Austria. Nathan Pare of the United States was third.
Grondin came back to his home province having won two gold, three silver and a bronze medal this season. He needed only a third -place finish to clinch the championship.
Grondin has won two gold, three silver and a bronze medal this season in World Cup races. He stumbled just before the finish Saturday and lost by three-hundredths of a second to Dusek.
France's Lea Casta won the women's event ahead of silver medalist Mia Clift of Australia and Sina Siegenthaler of Switzerland, who took bronze.
Mackenzie native Evan Bichon of Prince George was 30th. Bichon qualified 21st overall but ended up fourth in his eighth-final heat. Colby Graham of Prince George finished 40th.
The 19-year-old Casta captured her first Crystal Globe title with her win Saturday. World Cup leader Charlotte Bankes of Great Britain had the points lead heading in to Mont-Sainte-Anne but broke her collarbone during a training run Friday and will finish second.
Canada's Tess Critchlow finished s season-best fifth, winning the small final, and Audrey McManiman of Sainte-Ambroise-de-Kildare, Que., was a career-best seventh.
Meyeta O’Dine of Prince George was eliminated in the quarterfinal round and placed 10th.
Rose Savard-Ferguson of Quebec City was 16th.
Sunday’s season-ended races start at 6:15 a.m. PT (men) and 6:55 a.m. PT (women). Finals are scheduled to start at 8 a.m. PT.
O’Dine will be racing in the second women’s quarterfinal group against Savard-Ferguson, Pia Zirkhold of Austria and Virginia Boyd of the U.S.
Graham is part of the second 16th-final group with Jake Vedder of the U.S., Quentin Sodogas of France and Noah Bethonico of Brazil.
Bichon will race in the 14th 16th-final group with Merlin Surgot of France, Kota Sakurai of Japan and Jocob Lebel of Sainte-Marie, Que.
Taped coverage of the races will be webcast on cbc.ca starting at 11 a.m. PT
