Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes: Satisfied but worried about the future

Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes is the only Canadian who is regularly competing in the World Cup and he was also the only athlete in men's Ski Jumping in the large Olympic team of his home country at this Olympic Games. With his results, he did a good job in representing Canadian Ski Jumping in PyeongChang recently.

The 26-year-old showed good performances in both individual competitions at the Olympics, he was 26th on the normal hill and came in 21st in the large hill competition.

"Getting top 30 may not sound like much or may not seem like something to celebrate, but for a ski jumper from Canada, it's quite a big deal. It does feel a little bit weird when I'm amongst so many other athletes in the village who are fighting for medals and stuff like that. To be pleased with myself with the 21st place seems a little odd, but knowing how small the sport is in our country, it's kind of a different game and I'm pretty satisfied", Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes is quoted on the website of the TV station CBC.

As much as he is satisfied with his own results, the Canadian is also worried about the further development of Ski Jumping in his home country. "It's sad that there aren't more competitors, more athletes, from me down to all the development programs. There just aren't enough people doing it. There aren't enough venues, so obviously I'd like to see that grow."

Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes, whose best World Cup result so far is a ninth place in a Ski Flying event in Bad Mitterndorf in January 2014, is especially thinking about the situation in his hometown. "It's pretty crucial that we keep those facilities open to foster youth development in our sport," he says. If those Calgary jumps are not operational then we can pretty much kiss the sport goodbye."