Downhill

In downhill, a skier must master speeds of up to 90 mph on various combinations of ice and snow while managing turns, steeps and flats. Although crashes are uncommon (only two skiers did not finish the downhill course in 2006), they can be spectacular.Downhill is the only discipline where skiers are allowed training runs. Three training runs are scheduled on the Olympic slope prior to race day; each skier must start at least one of those runs.

The start order is determined by the results and points from World Cup events leading up to the Games. Based on a pre race draw, the skiers ranked in the top 15 will receive a start number 8 22, while the skiers ranked 16th through 30th will receive a start number 1 7 or 23 30. They are followed by the rest of the field, starting with the skiers with the most World Cup Start List (WCSL) points, then FIS points.The last time the time difference between the gold and silver medal winners was more than one second in the Olympic downhill was 1964.