PyeongChang Olympic men's downhill preview

PYEONGCHANG – The first set of medals in alpine skiing are on the line in the men's downhill which will be held on Sunday 11 February at Jeongseon Alpine Centre.

• Matthias Mayer (AUT) won the men's downhill at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. He could become the first skier to win multiple Olympic gold medals in this event.

• Only five men have managed to win multiple Olympic medals in the downhill race, and all of them won two medals: Guy Perillat (FRA), Bernhard Russi (SUI), Franck Piccard (FRA), Lasse Kjus (NOR) and Peter Muller (SUI).

• Mayer, Christof Innerhofer (ITA, silver in 2014), Kjetil Jansrud (NOR, bronze in 2014) and Aksel Lund Svindal (NOR, silver in 2010) can all join this group if they appear on the podium.

• Austria is the only NOC to claim back-to-back men's Olympic downhill titles as Franz Klammer and Leonhard Stock won in 1976 and 1980 respectively.

• Svindal won the men's downhill world title in 2007 and 2013. He could become the first man to win this event three times at the World Championships and Olympic Winter Games combined.

• Svindal (2010, super-G) and Jansrud (2014, super-G) could join Kjetil Andre Aamodt (4 titles) as the only Norwegian alpine skiers with multiple Olympic gold medals.

• The only alpine skier, male or female, to win an Olympic gold medal in both speed events, the downhill and super-G, is Michaela Dorfmeister (AUT) who won the speed double in 2006. On the men's side, Svindal and Jansrud could join her with a win in the downhill.

• The downhill is the only men's alpine skiing event at the Olympic Winter Games in which Norway lacks a gold medal.

• Beat Feuz (SUI) can become the fourth man to win the Olympic downhill gold medal as the reigning world champion in this event, after Zeno Colo (ITA) in 1952, Jean-Claude Killy (FRA) in 1968 and Russi in 1972.

• The only Italian who has won Olympic gold in the men's downhill is Zeno Colo in 1952.

• Hannes Reichelt (AUT) will be 37 years and 221 days old on the day of the downhill race at PyeongChang 2018. The record for oldest Olympic medallist in alpine skiing belongs to Bode Miller (USA) who claimed bronze in the men's super-G in 2014 at 36 years and 127 days.

• The oldest alpine skier to win an Olympic gold medal is Mario Matt (AUT) who won the men's slalom in 2014 at 34 years and 319 days.

• France has won 10 medals in this event at the Olympic Winter Games, including five gold medals, making it the NOC's most successful alpine skiing event, be it a men's or ladies' event.

Statistics provided by Gracenote Sports