Canadian snowboarder Arnaud Gaudet from Montcalm, Quebec, secured a silver medal at a World Cup snowboard parallel giant slalom competition held in Bansko, Bulgaria. Austria’s Benjamin Karl clinched the gold medal by narrowly beating Gaudet by 0.68 seconds in the final race. Meanwhile, Switzerland’s Gian Casanova claimed the bronze medal in the competition.
Gaudet, aged 25, had a remarkable performance throughout the day, triumphing over competitors like Tim Mastnak from Slovenia in the round of 16, Alexander Payer from Austria in the quarterfinals, and Yannik Argenend from Germany in the semifinals.
This achievement propelled Gaudet to the 10th spot in the overall World Cup rankings with a total of 193 points. Notably, Gaudet, who previously won a bronze medal in parallel giant slalom at the 2023 world championships, represented Canada at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. The men’s parallel giant slalom event at the upcoming Milan Cortina Games is scheduled for February 8 in Livigno, Italy.
In the women’s event, Aurelie Moisan from Baie d’Urfe, Quebec, emerged as the highest-ranking Canadian with a commendable sixth-place finish. The gold medal was secured by Germany’s Ramona Theresia Hofmeister, with Poland’s Aleksandra Krol-Walas claiming silver and Japan’s Tsubaki Miki taking home the bronze.
Viewers can catch the live coverage of the ongoing action in Bansko starting from 5:45 a.m. ET on Sunday on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem.