Broderick Thompson catching air on the Zermatt-Cervinia downhill training day. Credit: GEPA pictures/ Mathias Mandl

The Canadian Men’s World Cup speed team is ready to claim spots on the leaderboard this season, starting with the Zermatt-Cervinia downhill. With five of their racers ranking in the top 60 on the World Cup Start List (WCSL) for downhill, the thriving program is looking to keep its successful momentum going this winter. James Crawford ranked fourth in downhill on the WCSL and is gunning for the gold on this course’s debut. 

John Kucera, downhill champion and Team Canada’s head speed coach said, “We have an athlete here that is targeting a globe, and in general, as a team, we want to see everyone take a step forward, which might mean different things for different individuals. But we want to become one of the top-speed teams in the world; that is how we approach every season.”

Although the team has not been able to have great blocks of training before this first race due to weather conditions, they are still looking to start this season off on a strong note. The five Canadian men competing this weekend include: 

James (Jack) Crawford, ACA, Whistler Mountain Ski Club, HEAD, Level Gloves

Cameron Alexander, ACA, Whistler Mountain Ski Club, Rossignol, LOOK, Level Gloves

Broderick Thompson, ACA, Whistler Mountain Ski Club, HEAD, Oakley, Level Gloves

Jeffrey Read, ACA, Banff Alpine Racers, Atomic, UVEX, Level Gloves

Kyle Alexander, ACA, Whistler Mountain Ski Club, Rossignol, LOOK, Level Gloves

Kucera explained, “The guys feel good with where they are at with their skiing. The guys are ready and looking forward to it.”

Crawford Pushing for a Gold 

Crawford is coming off a big season last year with a win at the World Championships in super-G and three podium finishes in downhill. Completing the season on a high note makes him eager to remain on the leaderboard. In August, he announced that he got invited onto the Red Bull Team (Red Bull Canada) and would be approaching this year supported by them and the Canadian Ski Team. 

After Crawford’s success, he is undoubtedly eager to win several World Cups this season. At the end of last season, in an interview with FIS, Crawford stated, “When Odermatt and Kilde really started to excel and take a huge step away from the rest of the field with consistency, that was another one. Odermatt is the same age as me, and I have had pretty good success in the World Cup, but nothing compared to him. So, I kind of want to give him a run for his money.” He continued, “They are just guys who I really respect for what they do and how they approach skiing.”

Succeeding as a Team

The competitive nature of this inspiring Canadian speed team has caused each athlete to push each other and become better together. Crawford has referred to how the competitiveness within the team has assisted in his acceleration in the sport. His teammates have shown how this assistance has driven progress as well. For instance, Cameron Alexander joined Crawford on the podium last year at the World Championship downhill, finishing in third place. Another big finish for Alexander last season was sixth place at the Kitzbühel World Cup. He will be looking to move forward this year, step onto the podium, and improve his overall world ranking in speed. 

Broderick Thompson also showed his speed in Kitzbühel last season with a ninth-place finish. He continues to reveal his ability to gain speed that places him in the top 20. 

Jeffrey Read showed he can compete with the top-30 contenders in downhill, but this season, he will push to finish World Cups in the top-10 standings. Further, 24-year-old Kyle Alexander will be gunning to score his first downhill World Cup points this winter. 

During the racer’s first training run, the athletes evaluated the new course and the critical spots for the team to focus on coming into the weekend. Kucera explained, “There are a few longer, flat sections, so it will be important to nail the transition zones leading into those in order to carry their speed.”

He continued, “This will be exciting because it is a new venue. There is always a bit of excitement to see what it is all about and how things will go, how it will run and what the track is like.”

This speed team’s ambition and competitive push will be a thrill to watch as they take on a new venue this weekend. Click here to subscribe to the live stream.