(Zhangjiakou) While it has practically disappeared in the World Cup, the presence of the Alpine combined is called into question each time it is scheduled for the World Championships or the Olympic Games.
Posted at 11:05 p.m.
Apart from its historical value – the alpine combined was the first Olympic event in 1936 – what’s the point of holding a race shunned by increasingly specialized skiers? As proof, there were only 27 at the start of the downhill run at the Beijing Olympics, including two Chinese, a Mongolian, a Kosovar, a Ukrainian and a Chilean.
And again, some simply set off to improve their position in the discipline standings, including Canadian Brodie Seger, third in this first portion. Before the final slalom round, he asked his followers on Instagram for technical advice… He hadn’t touched this discipline for two years.
Second in the descent, two hundredths behind Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, his compatriot Jack Crawford felt more comfortable on his shorter skis. At the end of his performance between the stakes, the 24-year-old Torontonian only gave up 0.07 s to the skillful Norwegian. Only the Austrian Johannes Strolz managed to surpass them, succeeding his father Hubert, gold medalist at the same event in Calgary in 1988.
That’s what Strolz was telling a dumbfounded Kilde in the leader’s box. At his side, Crawford seemed in shock when he saw specialists like the Swiss Justin Murisier (4and) or the Frenchman Alexis Pinturault (retirement) come up against his time.
The 24-year-old skier has never been on the World Cup podium before. Now he has become only the fourth man in Canada to win an Olympic medal. He joins his name to those of Steve Podborski (Lake Placid, 1980), Edi Podivinski (Lillehammer, 1994) and Jan Hudec (Sochi, 2014), who also won bronze, in super-G or downhill.
Very nervous, Crawford got bogged down in his words at the start of his press conference at the Yanqing Alpine Ski Center. He dropped a “f… me” before recovering…
Fourth in the downhill and sixth in the super-G, Crawford had passed a few hundredths of the podium earlier at the Beijing Games. His aunt, Judy Crawford, finished fourth in the slalom at the 1972 Sapporo Games.
“She always told me that nobody remembers fourth places,” said Crawford, also fourth overall at the 2021 Worlds. “It feels good not to find myself in this situation. I kept thinking about it after the descent and even today. It’s ruthless, but true: at the Olympics, a medal is everything. »
” Magnificent ”
Erik Guay is well placed to know. He was the same age as Crawford when he finished fourth in the super-G at the Turin Games in 2006. On a bruised knee, he missed the podium by a tenth. Rebelote at Whistler in 2010, where he finished fifth twice, failing to three hundredths of the medal in super-G.
The Mont-Tremblant skier was unhealthy in Sochi in 2014 (10and super-G). A back injury prevented him from taking part in the PyeongChang Games. He retired the following fall as the most decorated Canadian in history with 25 World Cup podiums, two world titles, a crystal globe…but no Olympic medals.
“I’m super happy for Jack,” reacted Guay after a day coaching kids at Tremblant. A bit like me, things were going really well: fourth, sixth, within hundredths, but not quite on the podium. His slalom is a lot better than mine! He got that medal in the combined, and it’s wonderful. »
The 40-year-old is happy for the young athlete. “Time is running out and the pressure is mounting. In the end, I didn’t have the chance to return to the Games and prove myself. For now, he must not realize it because he has not experienced the same things as me. But going out with a medal at your first Games is really cool. I hope that will take some pressure off him. Not just at the Games, but at the World Championships and the World Cup. He has already accomplished this and no one can take it away from him. »
At the end of his career, Guay rubbed shoulders with Crawford during summer internships. The product of the Whistler club, fifth in Wengen and sixth in Kitzbühel last month, was already gifted technically.
“I like to see good technical skiers because they can perform in all circumstances. If it’s just a slider, some routes will suit it. But in Kitzbühel or more demanding places, he won’t have a chance. »
New sponsors?
This medal is “super important” for Alpine Canada (ACA), of which Guay is a member of the board of directors. It should move the alpine program into the first category of Own the Podium, in the same way as ski cross, for which the federation is also responsible.
“Since Manny [Osborne-Paradis] and I retired, no one had proven that he was capable of performing at this level among men. It’s done, it’s proven. We will surely go up in the first third like ski cross. »
This “momentum” will also facilitate the task of the president of ACA, former hockey player Thérèse Brisson, who is working hard to find new partners.
“Sponsors want to associate themselves with sports that perform,” noted Guay. Skiing is a recognized sport, but we don’t have the best performance record at the Olympic Games. I hope it will attract more. »
The development plan is already bearing fruit on the women’s side, particularly in the technical disciplines.
“Not only is there consistency, but there’s a little more depth,” said the former world champion. It’s not a single girl who performs and we only bet on her. A nucleus begins to form. It’s the same with guys, but they’re young. It sometimes takes a little longer for them to develop, especially in speed. »
Crawford’s bronze will also serve to motivate coaches like his former teammate John Kucera, head of the men’s sprint program.
“At some point, you put in all your time, all your effort. If nothing works, you end up losing motivation. »
The question that kills
Guay is more “concerned” with development. He cites the Norwegians, who apply a version of the long-term athlete development framework, created in Canada. The hiring of Jeff Thompson to the new position of Vice President of Programs is a step in the right direction. Collaboration with provincial federations and clubs will be essential.
“I don’t want us talking, having a good game plan, but not executing it, as has happened in the past. But I don’t think that’s going to happen. Therese pushes all that forward, Jeff is very aware of all that. It lines up nicely, but those things take a little longer. To develop truly high-level athletes. And not just one or two, but ten, a dozen, twenty, that’s going to be essential. »
When he arrived on the new board of Alpine Canada in 2019, Guay announced an ambitious program: to become one of the three main alpine skiing nations at the Olympic Games in Cortina in 2026.
Is it still realistic? “Realistic or not, I think it’s the vision that’s more important. If you aim low, you get low. If you aim high and you don’t quite get there, but you finish fourth, it’s still a success. You are going in the right direction. It’s important to have high aspirations. »
In a press conference, Crawford explained that he had adopted a “new mentality which consists of [se] position to win every race.
“Even if you don’t win, even if you’re not in the top 10, if you have that mentality and that ability to push and put yourself in position to win, it’s probably going to be a good day, regardless of your final position, said the bronze medalist. For me, it really helped to push myself and be in a place where anything can happen on any given day. »
Music to the ears of Erik Guay, who hopes that Crawford’s teammates will take inspiration from it.
Now, the killer question: does a combined podium have the same value? The debate is open, not only in alpine skiing. Guay recalls Jon Montgomery’s gold medal at the Vancouver Games in skeleton, a sport he discovered late in life.
“There are medals Canadians take more seriously. Some require more practice than others. To win in figure skating, you have to start at the age of 2. Are they all the same value? Not for me. There are some who have worked all their lives for this, others who arrive at the last minute. »
“But it’s still an Olympic medal, whether it’s skeleton, curling or alpine skiing. In a few years, people won’t remember that it’s a super-combined medal. They will remember that it is an Olympic medal. »