Dylan Deschamps earns freeski big air bronze for Canada at World Cup opener in Switzerland
Austria's Matej Vancer wins gold medal, Mathilde Gremaud top woman on home snow
Freestyle skier Dylan Deschamps of Quebec City held off Finnish opponent Elias Syrja to pick up a bronze medal at the season-opening World Cup in Switzerland.
Deschamps scored 172.25 points for his performance at the Big Air Chur festival, 1.25 ahead of Syrja in fourth. Matej Svancer of Austria was victorious (186.00) at the site of his first-career World Cup title in 2021, while Norway's Tormod Frostad captured silver (178.00).
A year ago, the 21-year-old Deschamps was awarded gold in his World Cup debut after runs on the second day of competition in Chur were cancelled due to wet weather. He had scored 93.66 in qualifying the previous day that stood as the official result.
Aidan Mulvihill of Squamish, B.C., placed 22nd (79.75) on Friday in a field of 56 athletes from 29 countries.
WATCH | Deschamps returns to big air podium in Chur after 2023 win:
In the women's event, Mathilde Gremaud thrilled the crowd, collecting 178.50 points for the victory on home snow.
Italy's Flora Tabanelli amassed 161.00 points for the silver medal, with Muriel Mohr grabbing bronze with a score of 143.75.
There were no Canadians in the event.
Gremaud, 24, won a Crystal Globe as big air season champion in 2023-24, which began with a win in Chur, which has opened the World Cup season for freeski and snowboard for four straight years.
The two-time Olympian claimed bronze in big air and gold in slopestyle at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
Friday was the first of six big air World Cup events across Europe, Asia and North America.
WATCH | Gremaud captures 2nd straight season-opening win in Switzerland:
