Preview: Canadian Alpine Ski Team - Beijing 2022 Olympic Games

Alpine Skiing medals at Olympic Games have proven to be very difficult to achieve for Canada. Here is why I am optimistic that the Canadian Alpine Ski Team will surprise to the upside and win some valuable hardware at the 2022 Olympic Games. Although the Alpine Teams have only achieved one World Cup Podium this season so far, there have been several outstanding results in the top 5 and top 10 from many different racers that showcase that Canada has the talent pool to challenge for the podium at several different events.

There will be 33 Alpine Medals given out in Beijing in 11 different events. I am projecting that the Canadian Ski Team will bring home at least 2 medals during these Games. Olympic & World Championships have their own dynamics and getting off to a good start will be important. The Olympic Alpine schedule this time kicks off with Men’s DH, Women’s GS, Men’s SG and Women’s SL. Canada has a medal chance in all of these events.

The Men’s DH will present a different challenge these Games. None of the athletes have previously skied the course. Unlike World Cup races where the more experienced racers have had many more runs on the courses than their young competitors, in Beijing it’s a level playing field. Canada’s young Downhill Team will benefit from that!

Another factor will be the snow conditions in this very dry climate in Beijing. The almost exclusive man- made snow and the dry conditions will provide a racing surface that is more like the North American snow conditions of Colorado. That could play in the favour of North American racers. The training runs in DH will give a good indication of who likes the more technical lay out of the course and can adapt to the snow conditions the best. I would expect that the training runs will reveal the favourites for the medals right away and don’t expect any big surprises on race day from races lagging in the training runs.

The Women’s GS and Men’s SG and Women’s SL are following the Downhill and provide Canada with some of its best medal chances. With 3rd, 4th, 5th places in the World Cup in these events a medal is in sight in any of them. Exciting to have Canadian medal chances in all these events!

The second week of the Alpine Events brings the Women’s Speed events and the Men’s Technical events. On the Women’s DH side, the top 2 skiers now are sidelined with injuries and that open’s the field up for surprises again. On the men’s side the GS race is probably the best chance for a medal for Canada. With two experienced skiers that have been showing great speed this season I would not be surprised to see a breakthrough performance for Canada rewarded with an Olympic Medal.

Lastly the Mixed Team event is another great chance for an Olympic Medal for Canada. Traditionally a strong event for our Team. Canada always places a strong emphasis on the event. Fielding some very accomplished parallel racers, this should add up to a strong finish for the Team!

It’s never easy to deliver performance under Olympic pressure, but I like the fact that our athletes are a bit under the radar and don’t have to carry the burden of being the favorites. I am looking forward to watching the races and I am optimistic that these Games will be one of the most successful ones for our Alpine Team!

Go Canada!