James Crawford beats everyone in the blink of an eye in the Super-G of the World Ski Championships in Courchevel: The 25-year-old, who has never won a World Cup, cheers in front of a Norwegian and the local hero.
James Crawford Swinging down, he looked at the scoreboard in the target room and then he threw that loud, piercing one “yes“ out of here. It was the sheer joy that showed on his face after his ride time flashed green. Opposite, in front of the specially set up chair of the leader up to that point, the Norwegian waved Aleksander Aamodt Kilde exasperated. He was beaten by 0.01 seconds. He hadn’t expected this Canadian ski explosion, which would ultimately lead Crawford to the world championship title on Thursday (February 9th, 2023). “I’ve shown more than once that I can be fast and get into the top ten. But beating these competitors feels unreal,” Crawford said on ZDF.
The slogan before the men’s Super-G at the Ski World Championships in Courchevel was clear: it all depends on the right timing between the attack and the only two or three goals, in which tactics are required. The German Andreas Sander put it succinctly: “I’ve really only memorized two things and I’m trying to drive the rest with feeling and full throttle.”
Pinturault again with home medal
He wasn’t alone – the decision in the Super-G was much more of an affair for the world’s speed elite than the combination Super-G two days earlier. Speed beat technology, which was also shown on the scoreboard this time: James Crawford, watched by the two newly crowned world champions Federica Brignone (combined) and Marta Bassino (super-G), snatched World Championship gold on L’Éclipse in France ahead of Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, who also only won his first World Championship medal. Both are experts in the fast disciplines.
Only the bronze rank confirmed the rule as an exception: After gold in the combination, local hero Alexis Pinturault surprisingly took third place in the second World Championship race. But that was probably more because the athlete from CS Courchevel knows the transitions, bumps and corners of this mountain better than anyone else in the field. “I can enjoy it very much here at home with many friends and family.”
World champion still without World Cup victory – Odermatt disappointed
The four-time Super-G World Cup winner of the winter, Marco Odermatt, who started with gold hopes, could not quench the Swiss longing for precious metal in fourth place. “The disappointment is great,” said the 25-year-old. “But it wasn’t a bad run, it was just three faster. It’s the shortest Super-G all year and if you make a few small mistakes, the time is gone quickly.”
Because a Canadian came – and surprised everyone: Crawford has never won a World Cup race, but the 25-year-old is always good for a surprise at major events: At the Olympics a year ago in Beijing, he surprisingly won bronze in the combination Fourth in the downhill and sixth in the Super-G. And now the really big coup: “There you can see again: the World Cup. It’s actually clear that there is a surprise on the podium in almost every race. Today it’s him,” said Sander.
Crawford’s coup with loans from Marta Bassino
Much like the women’s Super-G winner Bassino over at Méribel, Crawford started slowly but was one of the worst at the first split at 14 seconds. However, the further he sped down, the more opponents he snorted – before he finally crossed the finish line with that one-hundredth of a second advantage over Kilde. It was one of the shortest Super-Gs of the winter, but it ended up being just the right length for Crawford.
Sander as ninth best German
The best German Sander ended up in ninth place and struggled a bit with his run, in which he only made minor mistakes. Ultimately, however, they proved decisive and led to a deficit of 0.67 seconds. “I forgot to move for a short section, which annoyed me during the ride in the three or four gates before the finish slope. If I can blame myself for anything, it’s definitely there.”
Sander immediately radioed all route information to his colleagues. In the end, however, it didn’t do much: Simon Jocher missed out on the top 20 and Josef Ferstl dropped out. Romed Baumann, who started in front of Sander with the ungrateful number one in the Super-G, was only slightly faster than Jocher.
Standing after 40 drivers