Jasper’s Jesse Kertesz-Knight added another achievement to his skiing career with his World Cup debut in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia on March 2.
Kertesz-Knight was honoured with the opportunity to compete in the Audi FIS Ski World Cup.
“It was an amazing experience, and something I’ve been working at for my whole ski racing career and most of my life, and to finally have the opportunity to represent Canada and my home club and town of Jasper was really special,” he said.
Kertesz-Knight qualified for the event due to having the best performance among the Canadian ski team at the North American Cup and Europa Cup tours.
He had previously visited Slovenia for some training this season, but before that, he had never visited the Central European country.
“It was a beautiful day – packed stands, tons of fans and really cool to see the guys that I’ve been watching since I was a kid on TV,” he said. “I competed against them. I think that was the coolest part.”
Kertesz-Knight explained his own performance suffered from nervousness, not receiving a ranking, but he was happy to get his first World Cup and hoped to get a spot on the World Cup again next year.
“The only reason I say I wish I had a better performance was because I know I can give more than what I did, but it was still an amazing experience and great to travel around close by with my brother,” he said.
His younger brother, Jake, represented Canada in the giant slalom at the World Junior Alpine Championships in Tarvisio, Italy, which was not too far away from where he was in Slovenia. Their parents were also able to fly out.
The Kertesz-Knight brothers are aiming to eventually make it to the Canadian National Ski Team and eventually ski for Canada at the Winter Olympics. For now, the focus will remain on competing at the World Cup level, which was made possible by sponsorships and support from the community.
Having gone from tearing up the snow with his friends at Marmot Basin to competing in a World Cup, Kertesz-Knight noted being an alpine ski racer was a lifelong pursuit that required years of work.
“It’s the best sport in the world because you get to travel around to these beautiful places and meet great new people,” he said. “It’s definitely a lot of work, but I think it’s an amazing sport.”
