What's better than one Canadian Open DH victory on home soil? Why, two, of course.
Jakob Jewett came, saw and conquered the iconic 1199 venue yet again. His scintillating time of 3:23.721 was roughly six seconds faster than what he did last year, and more importantly it was just enough to hold runner-up Dakotah Norton (3:24.438) at bay. Luca Shaw ultimately bumped down to third after a marvelous effort of his own (3:27.354).
Sunday's race left little margin for error, with less than seven seconds separating the top 10 athletes, but Squamish fans had the last laugh as their hometown hero rose to the occasion once more.
"Honestly, it hasn't really sunk in," Jakob admitted shortly after receiving his gold medal. "I went across the line and was like: 'did I actually just do it again?' I'm so stoked. It was such a long day and the track was just getting gnarlier and gnarlier."
In 2023, Dane Jewett shared a storybook ending with his older brother: winning the U19 event and managing the day's fastest time. A double championship was not in the cards this time, with Dane settling for 12th overall and third among juniors (3:31.453).
While frustrated with errors in his own lap, Dane's heart leaped at Jakob's memorable triumph.
"It definitely made me happy to see that after my result," he said. "I'm so happy for Jakob and I can't believe he did it twice in a row."
Rider discretion is advised
Jakob didn't allow fanciful dreams of a repeat title to interfere with his approach. His game plan was simply to get down the hill in one piece, to achieve a solid run and most of all, to avoid injury. Such caution was evidently warranted.
Ronan Dunne wiped out early in what was a promising jaunt, and a fatiguing Ryan Griffith went over his handlebars after veering offline. Both were able to complete their runs, fortunately, but an even heavier impact by Kye A'Hern just moments after leaving the start gate put the race on hold.
Shaw had been in the hot seat for a while at that point, fending off efforts by Danny Hart, Jackson Frew, eventual U19 champ Bode Burke and incumbent King of Crankworx Tuhoto-Ariki Pene. He and everyone else were forced to wait anxiously before Norton poured it on, finally taking over top spot.
Paying the drama no heed was Jakob. He likes to stay locked in his own zone at each competition so he can ride fast and uninhibited, and the 21-year-old ended up firing on all cylinders.
Jakob found himself in the red at the shark-fin turn last year and could only prevail after unlocking a turbo boost over the course's final 100 metres or so. This year was different: the young Squamolian remained green and bested Norton's outing from pillar to post.
Thousands of assembled viewers erupted at the finish line, their jubilant voices propelling Jakob atop Cloud Nine once more.
"I don't know why [I was able to be so precise]," Jakob admitted. "I tend to like the real technical tracks, and 1199 is one of the more technical tracks out there. I think it just suits my style."
While pleased with a medal and to stand on a podium with his compatriot Norton, Shaw gave due respect to his opponents.
"I don't think [I've done enough to win]," said the American in a mid-race interview with Red Bull. "I made too many mistakes. I think there's for sure some time up there."
The king and his court
Pene settled for fourth after missing Shaw's benchmark by roughly a second, but there's now only a 72-point gap between him and King of Crankworx frontrunner Ryan Gilchrist. Sea to Sky mountain bike fans watched this movie unfold in 2023, as the Kiwi ignited in Whistler to usurp Bas van Steenbergen's crown.
As usual, Pene exhibited no sign of anxiety after his performance.
"Pretty happy," he quipped with a laugh during Red Bull's broadcast. "It's crazy. You come down, your hands are sore, legs are sore, everything. Could hardly breathe, but it's all good. I like those kinds of tracks. It's going to be a big week, but I'm ready."
Gilchrist is not an elite downhiller by trade, but knows he can't be turning down races with the likes of Pene and Frew in his rearview mirror. The Australian bettered his qualifying time by more than 10 seconds—an effort he is proud of—but 31st place added only eight points to his haul.
"It's probably one of the most challenging overalls that I've been in contention for," remarked Gilchrist. "Being at the top is really making me proud of my riding. The reason why I've been so consistent this year is having consistently reliable, valuable support from [my sponsors] Shimano and EP Racing, and also at home: my family, my girlfriend and everybody.
"But Tuhoto's a mad dog, an incredible competitor and a good mate of mine. I know that he can put together an insane week any time, and I'm going to have to put my A-game forward to beat him, Jackson and all the others."
Perhaps Burke, who represented the Stars and Stripes well in sixth overall (3:29.147) could one day assume the throne. At 17 years old, he bested top-flight veterans like Frew (seventh), Bernard Kerr (eighth), Kirk McDowall (11th) and the previous year's silver medallist, Mark Wallace (14th).
It was a showing that left much of the Whistler crowd in awe.
"A little loose, but I pushed through the mistakes and it was good," Burke said in the finish corral. "I'm more nervous [watching other people come down] than racing, actually."
Joining Burke on the U19 podium were second-placer Jon Mozell (3:30.441) and Dane.
Check back with Pique Newsmagazine for a full recap of the women's Canadian Open DH with gold going to Jenna Hastings. Results are viewable here.
