Olympic medals are cool, but Canadian skier Jack Crawford says he has more to accomplish
CBC
The question seems to catch Jack Crawford off guard for a split-second.
"The medal?" he asks, referring to the Olympic bronze the Canadian collected in alpine combined in February in Beijing.
Indeed, the question was about "the medal." Where does Crawford keep it?
"I don't know. It's with my parents. I don't know. I wouldn't say the medal really — it's super cool. It means a lot to me. But the experience I think is more my speed," he answers.
As it turns out, speed itself is also Crawford's speed. The 25-year-old from Toronto excels in alpine skiing's two fastest events, the super-G and downhill, finishing fifth in the former and 16th in the latter in last season's overall World Cup standings.
Both disciplines will be tested at the 2022-23 season opening World Cup in Lake Louise, Alta., which begins Friday and runs through Sunday. Live streaming of the entire event will be available on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and CBC Gem.
Crawford enters the campaign with a new set of challenges, including a start number toward the front of the pack. It also means a target on his back after he finished fourth in the downhill and sixth in super-G at the Olympics, in addition to the bronze in alpine combined (which adds together one downhill run and one slalom run).
Ever the competitor, Crawford said it's the downhill that sticks with him most of the three Olympic races.
"I put down a run that could have won the race and unfortunately, time wasn't on my side that day. So that one definitely, definitely stings a bit because if I think about, like, start number, or I do one turn differently, all of a sudden it's a completely different day," he said.
Still, Crawford said ultimately his goal in every race is to post a time capable of winning — even if the result doesn't follow. In a solitary sport like alpine skiing, the opponent tends to be the clock more than other racers. Meanwhile, his eyes are set on the world championships in February and earning medals at vaunted hills like Kitzbuhel.
WATCH | Crawford snags silver at World Cup in March:
Alpine Canada speed coach John Kucera, whose first World Cup victory as an athlete came in the 2006 Lake Louise super-G, said the next step for Crawford is consistency.
"Showing those kind of high-level performances he was able to do through the Olympics and the end of the year on a more consistent basis right from the beginning," Kucera said. "And if he does that? Everything else will kind of take care of itself."
Crawford will be helped by his early start number, a result of his strong end to last year, granting him fresher snow and more predictable weather alongside other podium contenders. He posted the fastest time in downhill training on Tuesday.