Austria's Alessandro Hämmerle is the Olympic champion in men's snowboard cross after his victory at Beijing 2022 ©Getty Images

Austria's Alessandro Hämmerle has won the gold medal in men's snowboard cross in a photo finish with young Canadian Éliot Grondin in a battle between two of the best in the world at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games here.

World silver medallist Hämmerle held off the 20-year-old at another major competition, following their second and third-place finishes at the 2021 World Championships.

Grondin went into the competition as the top seed, and lost the Olympic title by the finest of margins.

Omar Visintin of Italy won the bronze medal in front of another Austrian, Julian Lüftner, who completed the big final standings.

Alessandro Hämmerle of Austria pipped Canada's Eliot Grondin to the line in the big final ©Getty Images
Alessandro Hämmerle of Austria pipped Canada's Eliot Grondin to the line in the big final ©Getty Images

Merlin Surget of France was top of the small final, being classified fifth in front of Jake Vedder of the United States and world champion Lucas Eguibar of Spain.

Tommaso Leoni of Italy finished eighth as the last athlete in the small final.

Martin Nörl of Germany, the fifth seed and Snowboard Cross World Cup leader, was eliminated in the quarter-finals and third seed Jakob Dusek of Austria was knocked out in the opening round.