(Beijing) From one competition to another since the start of the 2022 Olympic Games, James Crawford has never stopped surpassing himself, until he finally reaches a podium.
Posted at 5:35 a.m.
Updated at 6:49 a.m.
Crawford placed third in the men’s alpine combined on Thursday after narrowly missing out on medals in his two previous outings in Beijing.
On Monday, he was fourth in the downhill, seven hundredths of a second from third position, before finishing sixth in the super-G on Tuesday.
PHOTO FABRICE COFFRINI, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
James Crawford
“I’ve adopted this new mentality of putting myself in position to win every race,” said the 24-year-old Torontonian.
“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. For me, it really helped to push myself and be in a place where anything can happen on any given day. »
That spirit was evident on Thursday morning when he posted the second best time on the downhill leg with a time of one minute 43.14 seconds. In the afternoon, he then set a time of 48.97 seconds in the slalom portion.
These performances allowed him to finish the competition with a cumulative time of 2:32.11 and give Canada its first ever medal in the alpine combined.
“I’ve always had speed. For the past two years, I’ve always been in the fight for downhill and super-G split times, but I didn’t have the experience to do it consistently from top to bottom,” admitted Crawford.
“This year, with small tweaks to my gear and style, and with my overall approach, it allows me to step out of the gate and be a contender at every opportunity. »
Crawford admitted he couldn’t “ask for more” after earning an Olympic medal. But even at the post-race press conference, he was starting to think about the 2026 Games, in Italy.
“Ahead of the next Olympics, I hope I can take what I’ve done here, keep pushing and continue my career. But before that happens, I’m going to take some time at home and relax with my girlfriend, my family and celebrate as much as possible. I don’t think I’m going to realize any of this until I’m home. »
Austrian Johannes Strolz won the event with a time of 2:31.43, ahead of Norwegian Aleksander Aamodt Kilde (2:32.02).
Third after the downhill with a time of 1:43.54, Canadian Brodie Seger of North Vancouver settled for a time of 51.49 in the slalom and finished ninth, directly behind his compatriot Broderick Thompson. The latter finished eighth in the downhill (1:44.39) and eighth in the slalom (49.81) as well.
Seger remarked that he hadn’t put on slalom skis in nearly two years. However, when he arrived at the Beijing Games, he realized he had a chance to make his mark in the Alpine Combined.
“For sure I’ve never been one of the guys listed for the combined, and that’s why I haven’t done a single slalom in the last two seasons,” Seger said. , between the downhill and the slalom on Thursday.
“I’m really happy to have done the work, more or less, during this descent and to have achieved something good. »
Trevor Philp clocked 1:46.84 on the downhill but was unable to complete the slalom.