Jack Crawford 4th in super-G, narrowly missing podium for 2nd time in 6 weeks
Canadian teammate Cam Alexander 8th; Swiss skier Franjo von Allmen wins home World Cup in Wengen
Toronto skier Jack Crawford continues to push for a podium finish on the World Cup circuit.
The reigning world super-G champion placed fourth in Friday's race in one minute 48.27 seconds, 4-100ths behind Stefan Rogentin of Switzerland, who was third on home snow in Wengen.
On Dec. 6, Crawford was fourth and 51-100ths off the lead on the Birds of Prey ski course in Beaver Creek, Colo.
In front of a large, flag-waving Swiss crowd, Crawford delivered the 10th top-10 super-G performance of his career.
"I've been coming to Wengen for about five years, and this was the best prep it's been," he told Alpine Canada. "It was a joy to ski today. Hurts the ego a little coming fourth again, but I'm hoping to bring the exact same approach and hopefully tomorrow, and down the road, I can stand on top of the podium.
"I'm feeling good heading into tomorrow's downhill. It's been a bit of a journey finding confidence on my skis again but I'm feeling comfortable and wiling to push so I think anything can happen."
WATCH | Crawford finishes 4th in 1:48.27 in Switzerland:
In February 2023, Crawford became just the third Canadian man ever to win a world title in alpine skiing, speeding to gold in the super-G in Courchevel, France.
His alpine combined Olympic bronze medal in 2022 in Beijing was Canada's first medal in men's alpine skiing since Jan Hudec's super-G bronze in 2014.
Todd Brooker, a member of the Crazy Canucks in the 1980s, believes Crawford has what it takes to win anywhere.
"I think Jack could really be one of the great ones. I see a lot of Steve [Podborski] in the way he skis," he told Devin Heroux of CBC Sports in December, comparing him to the Canadian great who in 1982 became the first North American to win the World Cup downhill season championship. "He's kind of like a skidoo, like a wide track skidoo coming down the hill. They don't get scared. They just go over stuff. That's the way Jack skis."
Teammate Cameron Alexander of North Vancouver, B.C., also cracked the top 10 on Friday in 8th (1:48.79).
Jeffrey Read of Canmore, Alta., was 22nd of 47 finishers, followed by Riley Seger of North Vancouver (44th, 1:51.36). His brother, Brodie, missed a gate and was among 10 athletes to not finish the race.
WATCH | Crawford and pushing through the fear of alpine skiing:
Breakout season
Meanwhile, the powerful Switzerland men's ski team won its home World Cup super-G on Friday, though it was Franjo von Allmen getting his first career win as Marco Odermatt had a rare poor result.
Odermatt finished outside the top five in a super-G for the first time since March 2022, 20 races ago, and trailed by more than one second in seventh place. The result was unofficial with low-ranked racers yet to start.
WATCH | Von Allmen clocks 1:47.65 on storied Lauberhorn hill:
The 23-year-old Von Allmen added to his breakout season resume by finishing in 1:47.65 on the storied Lauberhorn hill, 10-100ths clear of Austrian veteran Vincent Kriechmayr (1:47.75).
Swiss teammate Stefan Rogentin was 0.58 back in third (1:48.23) in the longest super-G of the season.
Von Allmen, who topped 133 kilometres per hour, was runner-up in the last two downhills in the past month and will be favoured with Odermatt for the classic downhill race Saturday that is a signature event on the Swiss sports calendar. Odermatt won it a year ago.
Odermatt, the three-time defending overall World Cup champion, had an uncharacteristically slow run in a super-G, and did not get his tactics right through a tight section of turns that always is key at Wengen.
"It was difficult for me today," Odermatt told Swiss broadcaster RTS. "I wasn't always on the right line and lost speed."
Odermatt launched into a 34-metre jump off the Hundschopf cliff face that is a defining feature of the Lauberhorn that should be at its full 4.45 km distance Saturday. It is the longest and quirkiest race on the World Cup circuit with a winning time around 2:25.
WATCH | Full replay coverage of Friday's super-G in Wengen, Switzerland:
With files from The Associated Press
