Canada crowns three Champions on final day of Canadian Alpine Championships racing
Alpine Canada – Jack Crawford, Erik Read, and Laurence St-Germain nation’s newest alpine champions
Mont-Édouard, Que. (March 27, 2019) – Canada’s final three alpine titles were awarded at Mont-Édouard on Wednesday, as the 2018-19 alpine ski racing season winds down.
Jack Crawford (Toronto/Whistler Mountain Ski Club-Georgian Peaks Ski Club) was the first to be crowned, winning the men’s super-G by one one-hundredth of a second over silver-medallist Jeffrey Read (Calgary/Banff Alpine Racers). Rounding out the super-G podium was the elder Read brother, Erik, who clocked a time of 58.84 seconds, .24 seconds off the pace to earn bronze.
“It was definitely a result that I was capable of. A bunch of other guys were also capable of getting the win here today, but I’m glad I ended up being the fastest,” said Crawford, who picks up his first national title. Crawford said he enjoyed the challenge of Mont-Édouard’s super-G run, noting the top part of the course is similar to what he’s seen in World Cup courses. “ It’s fun for the younger skiers (to race on), but also for the older guys that have experience.”
The Read brothers weren’t content with a super-G podium only; both skied their way onto the giant slalom podium – though this time it was Erik who bested younger brother Jeffrey.
Erik Read posted a two-run time of 2:29.93, a full .78 seconds ahead of his brother who finished in 2:30.71. Riley Seger (Vancouver/Whistler Mountain Ski Club) raced to bronze, finishing .92 off the pace.
“I’m really excited because I never won a Canadian title in giant slalom; I’ve had three wins in slalom in the past, but this is a first,” said Erik who was quick to point out his family bested another brother duo in the race; Riley’s brother Brodie Seger finished fifth. “The Reads are faster. But I’m also happy to be faster than my brother in my own discipline.”
In the ladies’ racing, Canada’s Laurence St-Germain (St-Ferréol-les-Neiges, Que./Club de ski Mont-Sainte-Anne) capped off a successful season of World Cup and University racing by being officially crowned Canada’s slalom queen.
The 24-year-old, who closed the World Cup season ranked 10th in slalom – up from her 33rd-place ranking in 2018 – set a blistering two-run pace of 1:40.74, nearly three seconds faster than silver-medallist Kiara Alexander (Sunshine Ski Club). Dorothée Faucher (Le Relais ski Club) raced to bronze.
“I’m super happy about my race; I skied well without making any mistakes,” said St-Germain, who also skied onto the podium earlier this week, racing to bronze in the ladies’ Nationals’ giant slalom. “Starting first this morning really helped, but even this afternoon, the conditions were perfect. It’s a great way to end my season in Quebec at Nationals.”
While the 2019 Canadian Alpine Championships are officially done, Mont-Édouard will host two more FIS races on Thursday on the same courses that welcomed Nationals’ racing – a men’s giant slalom and a ladies’ slalom.
Canada’s 2019 Alpine Champions
- Ladies’ super-G: Beatrix Lever; Men’s super-G: Jack Crawford
- Ladies’ giant slalom: Marie-Michèle Gagnon; men’s giant slalom: Erik Read
- Ladies’ slalom: Laurence St-Germain; men’s slalom: Jeffrey Read
Full race results are available at FIS-SKI.com.
Photos are available here https://we.tl/t-ZrPKRKMp0o Photo Credit: Fabrice Tremblay
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