Crawford Wins and Alexander is third in the World Cup of descent while the Canadian team impresses in Kitzbuehel

Kitzbuehel, Austria (AP) – James Crawford became the first Canadian skier in 42 years to win the prestigious world cup of descent in the Streif circuit, sharing the podium with his teammate Cameron Alexander, third on Saturday.

With the number 20 and going down after all the favorites before the race had completed their careers, Crawford pushed Alexis Monney to the second position.

The Swiss skier took an early advantage as a starter and seemed ready to get the second victory of his career, weeks later. triumphing in Bormio in the descent route that will be used for the Olympic Milan-Cortina next year. Alexander also ended third in that race.

But Crawford, the world champion SupergHe revolutionized the countryside and beat Monney for only 0.08 seconds for the first victory of the Canadian in a World Cup. Alexander was third to 0.22.

“I have shown descents speed before and I feel that I have been trying to return to the maximum speed for a while,” Crawford told Austrian television. “I have no words that can describe emotions. It is simply incredible and doing it in Kitzbuehel is even better. ”

The last Canadian winner of the iconic descent in Kitzbuehel was Todd Brooker in 1983, and the last time two Canadian descenders shared a podium in the World Cup was in February 2012, when Jan Hudec won and Erik Guay finished third in Chamonix, France .

The impressive result of the Canadian team occurred ten days before the start of the World Championship at another Austrian station, Saalbach-Hintergymm. Crawford in Superg and Alexander, who took the bronze in descent, won medals in the World Cup in France two years ago.

The world champion and three times absolute winner of the World Cup, Marco Odeermatt, finished sixth, a day after the Swiss star. triumphed in the super-g.

“It was a solid career, not the best, and without the best race you can’t win Kitzbuehel, the descent,” said Odermatt. “There is a great goal and a great dream.”

The 85th edition of Las Carreras de Hahnenkammm will end on Sunday with a Slalom.

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