Canadian snowboarder Arnaud Gaudet races to silver for first World Cup medal

BANSKO — Canadian snowboarder Arnaud Gaudet raced to a World Cup podium for the first time in his career with a second-place finish in the parallel giant slalom event Saturday.

Austria’s Benjamin Karl edged Gaudet by 0.68 seconds in the big final to capture gold. Switzerland’s Gian Casanova won the small final to claim bronze.

The 25-year-old Gaudet of Montcalm, Que., had a near-flawless day, defeating Slovenia’s Tim Mastnak in the round of 16, Austria’s Alexander Payer in the quarterfinals and Germany’s Yannik Argenend in the semifinals.

The result lifted Gaudet into 10th place in the overall World Cup standings with 193 points.

Gaudet, a parallel giant slalom bronze medallist at the 2023 world championships, represented Canada at the Beijing Olympics in 2022. The men’s parallel giant slalom event at the Milan Cortina Games is set for Feb. 8 in Livigno, Italy.

Aurélie Moisan of Baie d’Urfé, Que., was the top Canadian in the women’s event Saturday with a sixth-place finish.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 17, 2026.