A Canadian storm swept throughout the well-known Hahnenkamm slope of Kitzbühel, Austria, on Saturday, January 25, as James Crawford and teammate Cameron Alexander delivered a one-two punch within the males’s downhill, upending a stacked subject of European contenders on one in every of snowboarding’s most legendary phases.
For 27-year-old Crawford, the victory was each a profession milestone and a private breakthrough. It marked his first-ever World Cup win, achieved on the distinguished Streif course—a venue that defines ski racing greatness. Crossing the end line in 1:53.64, Crawford in bib 20 edged Switzerland’s Alexis Monney by simply 0.08 seconds, who till then had sat confidently within the chief’s seat for 15 subsequent skiers. Monney had gained his first-ever World Cup podium and victory earlier this season. The 25-year-old ski racer had watched the highest 15 seated skiers failing to unseat him, together with Crawford’s teammate Cameron Alexander in bib 13, who had crossed the end line simply 0.13 seconds behind the Swiss, and absolutely would have felt assured in taking his second profession victory.
Together with his victory, Crawford not solely secured his maiden Downhill World Cup triumph but in addition the primary World Cup victory of the 2024-25 season for Alpine Canada.
“It’s been a dream of mine to win the classics, and for the primary one to be in Kitzbühel and my first downhill win to be right here is unimaginable. The feelings are just a bit bit scattered. I don’t know find out how to really feel—blissful, unhappy, I don’t know!”
— James Crawford
Crawford, the reigning Tremendous-G World Champion, had proven flashes of brilliance earlier within the season however struggled for consistency, with two fourth-place finishes and 5 outcomes exterior the highest 10 in December. He arrived in Kitzbühel with dedication, ending eighth in Friday’s Tremendous-G, but it surely was his efficiency Saturday that cemented his identify in snowboarding historical past.
Beginning because the twentieth skier, Crawford lagged behind Monney within the early sections however discovered his rhythm on the notoriously tough backside half of the course. Whereas many skiers faltered on the uneven terrain and tight turns, Crawford stayed composed, sustaining a clear line to realize essential time and safe his historic win.
Crawford credited teammate Alexander, who completed third, for serving to him navigate the demanding course. “Cam and I commute on a regular basis in coaching and racing, and to see him pushing and snowboarding that means on the high fired me up,” Crawford stated. “It’s wonderful that I get to face on high of the rostrum with him.”
For Alexander, the outcome marked one other standout efficiency following a fifth-place end in Friday’s Tremendous-G. The 25-year-old powered by way of the decrease sections of the Hahnenkamm Downhill to clinch third place, making certain a double podium celebration for Canada. “If there’s one World Cup the place you wish to be on the rostrum or on high of the rostrum, it’s this one proper right here,” Alexander stated. “To be up there with my teammate Jack [Crawford], it’s loopy.”
The Canadians’ triumph overshadowed a powerful run by Monney, who seemed poised to assert victory after main by way of the higher sections. Regardless of a slight misstep within the center portion of the course, the Swiss skier discovered time within the remaining stretch to safe second place, simply shy of Crawford’s successful run.
The day’s different favourite, general crystal globe chief Marco Odermatt, completed a disappointing sixth after dropping useful time within the backside part. The Swiss star, who gained Friday’s Tremendous-G, has but to beat the Kitzbühel Downhill—a obtrusive hole in his in any other case exceptional profession. Odermatt stays on track for a fourth consecutive general title however was visibly pissed off as he crossed the end line Saturday.
On a day when the legendary Streif claimed its share of victims, the Canadians emerged as sudden heroes, rewriting the script at one of many World Cup’s most iconic venues. Because the champagne flowed on the Kitzbühel podium, Crawford and Alexander ensured that this yr’s downhill shall be remembered as a historic second for Alpine Canada. The final time Canada had two skiers on the rostrum on the Hahnenkamm was in 1983, when Todd Brooker and Ken Learn claimed first and third. Brooker, identified for his fearless model, took a commanding victory on the Streif, whereas Learn, a member of the legendary “Loopy Canucks” and father of ski racer Jeffrey Learn, completed in third.
Crawford and Alexander’s efficiency on Saturday is a incredible echo of this historic second greater than 40 years later and can absolutely be remembered perpetually as one of many biggest feats in Alpine Canada’s legacy.
