James Crawford and Cameron Alexander bring a combination of confidence and hunger to the world alpine ski championship.
The duo recently electrified ski racing when Toronto鈥檚 Crawford became the first Canadian in 42 years to win the downhill on Kitzbuehel鈥檚 historic and gnarly Streif course in Austria.
Alexander of North Vancouver, B.C., joined his teammate on the podium in third for Canada鈥檚 first double podium in a World Cup downhill since 2012.
The biennial world championship starting Tuesday at the Austrian resort in Saalbach-Hinterglemm will be their first races since Kitzbuehel.
Sunday鈥檚 downhill in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, was cancelled due to fog.
The world championship is a performance indicator on the Canadians鈥� road to the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan-Cortina, Italy.
Crawford, called 鈥淛ack鈥� more often than 鈥淛ames鈥�, is the defending world super-G champion. Alexander was a downhill bronze medallist two years ago in Courcheval, France.
鈥淪tanding on the super-G podium, that was incredible,鈥� Crawford recalled. 鈥淭hat was a huge success for my career, being able to claim a world champs medal.
鈥淭here鈥檚 other things I鈥檇 like to be able to accomplish at the world championships like a downhill. It would also be very cool to be able to contend again to defend my super-G title. I don鈥檛 know how many times in a career you get that opportunity.
鈥淔or me, going into the world championship, it鈥檚 just about staying hungry and really trying to find every little thing I can do to be faster.鈥�
The championship opens Tuesday with team parallel slalom followed by women鈥檚 and men鈥檚 super-G on Thursday and Friday respectively. The women鈥檚 and men鈥檚 downhills go Saturday and Sunday respectively.
Crawford鈥檚 super-G crown two years ago in Courcheval inspired Alexander for the downhill race there.
鈥淲inning would be really special. It was very cool to see Jack do that last time. It gave me a little bit of boost for the downhill,鈥� Alexander said. 鈥淚 give him a little bit of credit there. I look forward to laying it all out there. These one-shot races are a unique opportunity where you just have to give it everything you鈥檝e got. If you mess up, you mess up.
鈥淵ou always take confidence from big results, but you need to continue to always be looking to go super hard because everybody is going to be really hard and pushing all the time and that鈥檚 what it takes every race. I can鈥檛 expect because I did well in one spot that I鈥檓 going to be good at the other.鈥�
Reigning women鈥檚 slalom champion Laurence St-Germain of Saint-Ferr茅ol-les-Neiges, Que., is another Canadian to watch Feb. 15 as she attempts a repeat.
Valerie Grenier of St-Isidore, Ont., is a two-time World Cup winner in giant slalom. The women鈥檚 GS is Feb. 13 in Saalbach.
Alexander and Crawford, both 27, rank sixth and seventh in the world in downhill, with Alexander holding the No. 7 spot in super-G.
The latter discipline is the strength of the Canadian men鈥檚. While they were held off the podium, five finished in the top-30 in Kitzbuehel鈥檚 super-G.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of hyper-fixation right now on this result in Kitzbuehel, which was awesome and a great achievement,鈥� said men鈥檚 downhill coach John Kucera, who was the men鈥檚 world downhill champion in 2009 in Val-d鈥橧sere, France.
鈥淣obody in this room is surprised. We鈥檝e been at this level for a while. It鈥檚 cool that it came together in Kitz because it鈥檚 such a famed venue, but for us, it鈥檚 important that we don鈥檛 want to get over-comfortable or overly confident.鈥�
Saalbach鈥檚 season-ending men鈥檚 downhill was cancelled last year due to bad weather, although the men got a super-G in that weekend.
鈥淪aalbach is a course we have a decent amount of experience on,鈥� Alexander said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 flat and it鈥檚 technical. We can excel in any of those. Hopefully it鈥檚 a spot that, if we put it together, it鈥檒l be a good day.鈥�
World championships mimic the performance-on-demand environment of an Olympic Games, so Saalbach offers a mindset dress rehearsal for Bormio鈥檚 Olympic course in just over a year.
鈥淥lympic Games and world championships are special because you only get so many in your career to compete in and they鈥檙e races that aren鈥檛 every year,鈥� said Crawford, who was the alpine combined Olympic bronze medallist in 2022.
鈥淏eing able to show up to those races through a career and be able to claim medals is super special.鈥�
