Downhill is a form of alpine skiing competition. Whereas the other alpine skiing events emphasize turning and technique, downhill emphasizes "the six components of technique, courage, speed, risk, physical condition and judgement", according to the FIS "International Ski Competition Rules (ICR)". Speeds of up to 130 km/h (81 mph) are common in international competition. Athletes must have an aerodynamically efficient tuck position to minimize drag and increase speed.
Hermann Maier is an Austrian former World Cup champion alpine ski racer and Olympic gold medalist. Nicknamed the "Herminator", Maier ranks among the greatest alpine ski racers in history, with four overall World Cup titles, two Olympic gold medals, and three World Championship titles. His 54 World Cup race victories – 24 super-G, 15 downhills, 14 giant slaloms, and 1 combined – rank third on the men's all-time list behind Ingemar Stenmark's 86 victories and Marcel Hirscher's 67 victories. As of 2013, he holds the record for the most points in one season by a male alpine skier, with 2000 points from the 2000 season. From 2000–2013 he also held the title of most points in one season by any alpine skier, until Tina Maze scored 2414 points in the 2013 season.
Tina Maze is a retired Slovenian World Cup alpine ski racer.
The men's downhill of the 2006 Winter Olympics was held at Sestriere, Italy, on Sunday, 12 February.
The women's downhill of the 2006 Winter Olympics was held at San Sicario, Italy, on Wednesday, 15 February.
Dominique Gisin is a retired World Cup alpine ski racer and Olympic gold medalist from Switzerland. She is the older sister of alpine ski racers Marc and Michelle Gisin.
Lara Gut-Behrami is a Swiss World Cup alpine ski racer who competes in all disciplines and specializes in the speed events of downhill and super-G. She won the gold medal in the Super-G event at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
The men's combined event was part of the alpine skiing programme at the 1936 Winter Olympics. It was the debut of alpine skiing at the Winter Olympics, and was the only men's event. The competition consisted of a downhill race on Friday, 7 February and two slalom heats on Sunday, 9 February.
Anna Veith is an Austrian former alpine ski racer and Olympic gold medalist. She was the overall World Cup champion for the 2014 and 2015 seasons.
The women's downhill competition of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics was held at Whistler Creekside on Wednesday, February 17.
The women's super-G competition of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics was held at Whistler Creekside in Whistler, British Columbia, on Saturday, February 20.
Mikaela Pauline Shiffrin is an American two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and World Cup alpine skier. She is a four-time Overall World Cup champion, a four-time world champion in slalom, and a six-time winner of the World Cup discipline title in that event. Shiffrin is the youngest slalom champion in Olympic alpine skiing history, at 18 years and 345 days.
Slovenia competed at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, from 7 to 23 February 2014. Sixty-six competitors were chosen to participate, in eight sports. For the first time since the country's independence, the Slovenia men's national ice hockey team qualified for the Olympic tournament.
The women's giant slalom competition of the Sochi 2014 Olympics was held at the Rosa Khutor Alpine Resort near Krasnaya Polyana, Russia, on Tuesday, 18 February.
The women's super-G competition of the Sochi 2014 Olympics was held at the Rosa Khutor Alpine Resort near Krasnaya Polyana, Russia, on Saturday, 15 February. Anna Fenninger from Austria won the race, getting her first Olympic medal. Maria Höfl-Riesch of Germany won the silver medal, and Nicole Hosp of Austria finished third. Of the 2010 medalists, only Tina Maze participated and finished fifth.
The Men's Downhill competition of the Albertville 1992 Olympics was held at Val d'Isère on Sunday, 9 February.
Michelle Gisin is a Swiss World Cup alpine ski racer and competes in all disciplines. A two-time Olympic gold medalist, she won the Women's combined event in 2018 Winter Olympics, and Women's combined at the 2022 Winter Olympics. Born in Samedan, Graubünden, Gisin is the younger sister of alpine ski racers Marc and Dominique Gisin.
The Women's downhill competition at the 2015 World Championships was held on Friday, February 6.
The women's super-G competition of the PyeongChang 2018 Olympics was held at the Jeongseon Alpine Centre in PyeongChang on Saturday, 17 February.
The women's super-G competition of the Beijing 2022 Olympics was held on 11 February 2022 on the "Rock" course at Yanqing National Alpine Ski Centre ski resort in Yanqing District. Lara Gut-Behrami of Switzerland won her first gold medal, confirming her status as a defending world champion. Mirjam Puchner of Austria became the silver medalist, winning her first Olympic medal, and Michelle Gisin of Switzerland won bronze.
