![]() ![]() On the men's side, in 2002 Fritz Strobl (AUT) conquered the infamous 'Grizzly Downhill' in a time of 1:39.13. However, we do know the top times for the men's and women's competitions in Olympic history.Īt the Sarajevo 1984 Olympic Games, Swiss skier Michela Figini won gold with a time of 1:13.36 - over 10 seconds quicker than the next top time in Olympic history ( Marina Kiehl, competing for West Germany, won the event in 1:25.86 at the Calgary 1988 Winter Olympics).īut to the point regarding course differences between each edition of the Games, Figini's victory came on a course that was significantly shorter than the one Kiehl competed on (1.965 km compared to 2.238 km).įritz Strobl's undoubted career highlight ![]() Now, the downhill course varies from each edition of the Winter Olympics, so it's impossible to get a consistent record time at the Games as the conditions aren't the same (unlike, for example, the 100m in athletics, or speed skating - more on that later). The course for the event is longer, includes fewer turns and has the highest vertical drop of any discipline in the sport, which enables athletes to hit blistering speeds ranging from 125 kmph to 145 kmph. Some of it is in jest.Of all the Alpine skiing disciplines, downhill skiing is by far the fastest. "The only way you beat me is if you're cheating. "I mean, if you're winning, you're cheating," Holcomb said. Holcomb sees the finger-pointing as a badge of honor. women, also driving BMW sleds, placed all three sleds on the podium during the World Cup season, and Elana Meyers and Jamie Greubel were 2-3 in the World Cup standings, each winning at least one race. Holcomb, who won four-man gold in the 2010 Vancouver Games, won five two-man World Cup races, and Nick Cunningham and Cory Butner combined for five podium finishes. The Americans have had success this season. "Everyone thinks they're doing something," said Rush, who acknowledges he's interested in the American sleds. The USA made changes and still dominated on North American tracks. At the Park City World Cup event in December, a nation accused the Americans of not meeting FIBT specifications. This year, the American bobsleds - especially the new two-man sleds designed by BMW - have been scrutinized. "There's a very good technical commission," U.S. ![]() Just like auto racing, sleds are inspected before and after a race. However, there is strict sled inspection at World Cup events and even more so at the Olympics. Four year ago, Pain said the Germans were using illegal devices that acted like shock absorbers, a charge they denied. In bobsled, heating the runners to reduce friction is a common complaint. In skeleton, they call it "greasing the runners," or applying a substance that tries to create less friction between the blade and the ice. The most common accusations leveled are aimed at blades on a sled. Orlova is sixth halfway through the skeleton competition, one of three Russians in the top six. Last season, the FIBT stripped Russian skeleton slider Maria Orlova of her World Cup points after judges discovered her sled had been manipulated and the FIBT inspection sticker on her sled had been doctored. ![]()
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