Breakout world championship results this year by Jack Crawford and Brodie Seger indicate the rebuild of the Canadian menB次元官网网址檚 downhill team may be accelerating.

Seger, 25, and Crawford, 24, see those results as a springboard into an Olympic Games season that starts with FridayB次元官网网址檚 World Cup downhill in Lake Louise, Alta.

A second downhill is Saturday followed by SundayB次元官网网址檚 super-G.

The retirements of world champion Erik Guay and world championship medallists Manuel Osborne-Paradis and Dustin Cook in recent years gave way to a menB次元官网网址檚 downhill squad with an average age of 24 attempting those same heights.

Just four months apart in age, TorontoB次元官网网址檚 Crawford and Seger, from Whistler, B.C., are works in progress in downhill. TheyB次元官网网址檙e challenging the best skiers in the world in super-G with their technical talents, however.

B次元官网网址淛ack and I are kind of similar that way in that weB次元官网网址檝e always been slightly more technical speed skiers,B次元官网网址� Seger explained. B次元官网网址淲e might struggle sometimes more on the glidier downhill courses, flatter terrain.B次元官网网址�

Racing with a metal plate in his reconstructed shoulder, Seger was fourth in super-G in FebruaryB次元官网网址檚 world championship in Cortina, Italy. The Canadian finished four hundredths of a second off the podium.

A super-G medal in Cortina, co-host of the 2026 Winter Games, was CrawfordB次元官网网址檚 goal.

Thwarted in that bid, Crawford recovered by placing fourth the following day in alpine combined, which is the combined time of a super-G run and a slalom. He posted the fastest time in the super-G leg.

B次元官网网址淚t just gives us confidence,B次元官网网址� Crawford said. B次元官网网址淚t shows us what weB次元官网网址檙e actually capable of.

B次元官网网址淎fter world champs, I definitely think Brodie feels the same way, coming fourth B次元官网网址� it hurts a little bit, but when it comes to confidence, it really helps to show that weB次元官网网址檙e not that far away, and the podium is just around the corner.B次元官网网址�

Last yearB次元官网网址檚 World Cup in Lake Louise was cancelled due to COVID-19, which denied CanadaB次元官网网址檚 young skiers the chance to race on home snow.

Seger crashed and blew out his shoulder in the seasonB次元官网网址檚 first downhill in Val-dB次元官网网址橧sere, France.

A hook plate surgically implanted in his shoulder for stability made skiing and sleeping uncomfortable, but he was fixated on racing in Cortina.

B次元官网网址淗aving never been through that whole injury process before and getting back in the game, I was extremely determined more than anything to come back strong right off the bat,B次元官网网址� Seger said.

B次元官网网址淭hat return to racing was a huge learning experience. I was completely focused on what I needed to do to get back to that. I wasnB次元官网网址檛 in the middle of the season worrying about results, worrying about my ranking or anything like that. It was just one step at a time, what do I need to do in this rehab?B次元官网网址�

The first three super-G starters in Cortina didnB次元官网网址檛 cross the finish line. Drawing the No. 4 start bib, Crawford made it to the bottom and communicated intel up the mountain via radio to Seger with instructions on navigating the trickiest section.

B次元官网网址淚t was an extremely difficult position for him to be starting that early, being in that position for the first time really in his career and dealing with all sorts of chatter over the radio,B次元官网网址� Seger said.

B次元官网网址淭he report he was able to give back up to the rest of us after his run was key, and it definitely felt like a team effort that day.B次元官网网址�

Crawford says he felt more relaxed heading into the following dayB次元官网网址檚 alpine combined.

B次元官网网址淚t was a scenario where my stress levels and everything was just low and I came in confident,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚 just skied the way I had been in training leading into the races and that set me up for a pretty good day.B次元官网网址�

MenB次元官网网址檚 speed coach John Kucera, the 2009 world downhill champion, wants continued improvement out of both racers in super-G and downhill this season.

B次元官网网址淏rodie and Jack have good start positions in super-G, so that puts them in a position where they can be competitive,B次元官网网址� the Calgarian said.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e a group now thatB次元官网网址檚 targeting top-15, top-10 type results. WeB次元官网网址檙e not here anymore just to sneak into the points. We do still need to scrap it out a little bit in downhill.B次元官网网址�

The Cortina course was unfamiliar to international racers, which will also be the case in next FebruaryB次元官网网址檚 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e all going to be going to China blind and then nobodyB次元官网网址檚 really got the advantage in a sense,B次元官网网址� Kucera said. B次元官网网址淲hen you have a young group, itB次元官网网址檚 almost better in some ways to kind of go in there with no expectations.

B次元官网网址淲e know itB次元官网网址檚 supposed to be a difficult and technical hill, which is something that also kind of plays more into our hand a little bit, rather than a big, open glide track.B次元官网网址�

Jeffrey Read of Canmore, Alta., Cameron Alexander of North Vancouver, B.C., and Broderick Thompson of Whistler, B.C., join Seger and Crawford on FridayB次元官网网址檚 start list in Lake Louise.

Veteran racer Ben Thomsen of Invermere, B.C., wasnB次元官网网址檛 named to the Alpine CanadaB次元官网网址檚 squad this season, but will compete in downhill.

The third downhill training run Thursday was cancelled B次元官网网址渢o preserve the conditions of the slope,B次元官网网址� FIS said.

Heavy snowfall began blanketing the ski resort in Banff National Park on Thursday with 25 centimetres predicted to accumulate by Friday.

B次元官网网址擠onna Spencer, The Canadian Press