Evan McEachran clinched the bronze medal at the World Cup freestyle skiing slopestyle event held in Laax, Switzerland over the weekend. The athlete from Oakville, Ont., initially secured fifth place after his first run but made an impressive comeback in the second round, scoring 82.70 points and securing a spot on the podium.
Norway’s Birk Ruud claimed the gold medal with a score of 85.08, while Austria’s Matej Svancer took home the silver with a score of 84.08.
McEachran, aged 28, is gearing up for his third appearance at the upcoming Milan Cortina Games, having represented Canada in the 2018 and 2022 Olympics. The men’s slopestyle competition is scheduled to take place from February 7 to February 10 in Livigno, Italy.
In the women’s event, China’s Eileen Gu emerged victorious with a score of 85.13, followed by American Maarin Hamill who secured silver with 71.38 points, and Austria’s Lara Wolf who earned the bronze with a score of 67.85. The top Canadian performer was Elena Gaskell from Vernon, B.C., finishing in fifth place with a top score of 62.75.
In the women’s halfpipe event that took place later in Laax on Saturday, Canadian snowboarder Elizabeth Hosking finished in sixth place. The 24-year-old athlete from Longueuil, Que., initially held the fourth spot after her first run but faced a setback towards the end of her second run.
Gold in the women’s halfpipe event went to South Korea’s Gaon Choi, with Japan’s Rise Kudo securing the silver and China’s Cai Xuetong taking home the bronze.