Canada’s Jack Crawford is back on the slopes at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships this month, but he’s staying level-headed despite his recent historic victory in Kitzbuhel.
“There’s a lot more that I want to accomplish in my career, so being able to take those victories and deal with those emotions is key,” Crawford said in an interview with CBC Sports.
“I feel good. The worlds is always an event I can feel pretty comfortable in … anything can happen.”
The event comes just after the 27-year-old Crawford became the first Canadian in 42 years to win the World Cup downhill race on the Streif course in Kitzbuhel, Austria, in January.
“It’s the Super Bowl of ski racing. It’s the race everybody wants to win. It’s a race you dream of winning your whole life, so it’s worth celebrating,” he said. “I can tell you that that’s not something that happens year round after every World Cup, that’s definitely a one off.”
WATCH | Canada’s Crawford hungry for more after Kitzbuhel breakthrough:
During a gondola ride at the world championships, CBC Sports’ Devin Heroux chats with Canadian alpine skier Jack Crawford as he prepares to compete in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria.
Despite the late-night celebrations that ensued after his big win, Crawford anticipates the moment will continue to sink in for years to come.
The Toronto native is set to compete in the super-G and downhill events at the world championships, and he plans to use his recent success as fuel.
“I’m just really going to try to re-centre on what makes me good and makes me fast, and hopefully that’s enough to bring into worlds and the rest of the season to contend,” he said.
WATCH | CBC Sports previews the Alpine World Ski Championships:
Our CBC Sports team previews the Alpine World SKI Championships in Saalbac, Austria.
Crawford isn’t the only Canadian expected to succeed in Austria this month — teammate Cam Alexander is currently ranked seventh in the downhill chase and 10th in the super-G, and placed third in downhill in Kitzbuhel last month.
While no Canadian women have reached the World Cup podium this season, Val Grenier and Laurence St-Germain are also ones to watch during the competition.
And Crawford’s message to Canadians at home? Now is the perfect time to become a fan of the sport.
“Watch, get excited. It’s not every day you get the opportunity to watch Canadians stand at the top of podiums. If you have Canadians who can win, why not watch them?”
Watch live coverage of alpine World Cup events on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem. A live streaming schedule is available here.
