Peter Lange
The 25-year-old Jack Crawford is Canada’s Alpine Athlete of the Year. Crawford originally put the world on notice at the Sochi FIS Junior World Ski Championships in 2016. By medaling in Super-G at 18, Crawford emphatically announced his intentions to compete with the sport’s elite.
Crawford continued to develop his craft on the NorAm circuit, winning two Downhill and one Super-G titles during the 2018/19 and 2019/20 seasons.
Crawford is originally from Ontario and played hockey growing up like many of his friends. It wasn’t until he was 15 that he dedicated himself entirely to the sport of ski racing.
Fortunately for him, he has enjoyed the mentoring of World Champion and World Cup-winner, now coach John Kucera. Together the two have moved from competing in the Continental Cups to World Cup, World Championships and Olympics. It is a cooperation that works.
During the 2021/22 season, Crawford finished inside the top 30 an impressive 17 times. However, the highlights reached new levels at the Beijing Olympics. Crawford nearly missed a podium in the downhill but followed up with a bronze medal three days later in the alpine combined.
Full of confidence, he earned his first World Cup podium in March, placing 3rd in the Kvitjell Super-G. Consequentially he completed the season with six top ten results. Impressively, he finished the 2021/22 Alpine World Cup SG event standings 5th.
The recognition of his excellence is not unexpected. Indeed, the 25-year-old is a deserving recipient of the Canadian Alpine Skier of the Year award.
