| Event: | Men's downhill |
| Games: | 1992 Winter |
| Venue: | La face de Bellevarde Val-d'Isère, France |
| Date: | 9 February 1992 |
| Competitors: | 55 |
| Nations: | 24 |
| Win Value: | 1:50.37 |
| Gold: | Patrick Ortlieb |
| Goldnoc: | AUT |
| Silver: | Franck Piccard |
| Silvernoc: | FRA |
| Bronze: | Günther Mader |
| Bronzenoc: | AUT |
| Prev: | 1988 |
| Next: | 1994 |
| Men's Downhill | |
| Location: | La face de Bellevarde Val d'Isère, France |
| Vertical: | 973m (3,192feet) |
| Top Elevation: | 2809m (9,216feet) |
| Base Elevation: | 1836m (6,024feet) |
| Longest Run: | 3.048km (01.894miles) |
The Men's Downhill competition of the Albertville 1992 Olympics was held at Val d'Isère on Sunday, 9 February.[1] [2]
The defending world champion was Franz Heinzer of Switzerland, who was also the defending World Cup downhill champion and led the current season.[3] [4] Defending Olympic champion Pirmin Zurbriggen of Switzerland had retired from competition two years earlier; this was the fourth consecutive Olympics without the defending champion in the field.
The race was run on a new course on La face de Bellevarde, designed by 1972 champion Bernhard Russi. Austria's Patrick Ortlieb, who had yet to win a World Cup event, won the gold medal; Franck Piccard of France was only 0.05 seconds back to take the silver, and the bronze medalist was Günther Mader of Austria.[5] [6] Ortlieb was first racer on the course, and he became the fifth Austrian to win the event, in its twelfth edition. Heinzer was sixth, more than a second back.
The course started at an elevation of 2809m (9,216feet) above sea level with a vertical drop of 973m (3,192feet) and a course length of 3.048km (01.894miles). Ortlieb's winning time of 110.37 seconds yielded an average course speed of 99.418km/h, with an average vertical descent rate of 8.816m/s.
The race was started at 12:15 local time, (UTC +1). At the starting gate, the skies were clear, the temperature was 5C, and the snow condition was hard; the temperature at the finish was lower, at 3C.
| Rank | Bib | Name | Country | Time | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1:50.37 | — | ||||
| 23 | 1:50.42 | +0.05 | ||||
| 14 | 1:50.47 | +0.10 | ||||
| 4 | 2 | 1:50.62 | +0.25 | |||
| 5 | 6 | 1:50.79 | +0.42 | |||
| 6 | 12 | 1:51.39 | +1.02 | |||
| 7 | 3 | 1:51.49 | +1.12 | |||
| 8 | 5 | 1:51.63 | +1.26 | |||
| 9 | 15 | 1:51.98 | +1.61 | |||
| 10 | 22 | 1:52.07 | +1.70 | |||
| 11 | 13 | 1:52.28 | +1.91 | |||
| 12 | 16 | 1:52.34 | +1.97 | |||
| 13 | 4 | 1:52.39 | +2.02 | |||
| 14 | 30 | 1:52.48 | +2.11 | |||
| 15 | 7 | 1:52.50 | +2.13 | |||
| 16 | 28 | 1:52.71 | +2.34 | |||
| 17 | 10 | 1:53.10 | +2.73 | |||
| 18 | 26 | 1:53.37 | +3.00 | |||
| 19 | 11 | 1:53.38 | +3.01 | |||
| 20 | 21 | 1:53.40 | +3.03 | |||
| 21 | 34 | 1:53.52 | +3.15 | |||
| 22 | 33 | 1:53.68 | +3.31 | |||
| 23 | 8 | 1:53.77 | +3.40 | |||
| 24 | 32 | 1:53.93 | +3.56 | |||
| 25 | 39 | 1:54.23 | +3.86 | |||
| 26 | 37 | 1:54.24 | +3.87 | |||
| 27 | 25 | 1:54.28 | +3.91 | |||
| 28 | 24 | 1:54.54 | +4.17 | |||
| 29 | 38 | 1:54.83 | +4.46 | |||
| 30 | 45 | 1:54.89 | +4.52 | |||
| 31 | 19 | 1:54.95 | +4.58 | |||
| 32 | 40 | 1:55.62 | +5.25 | |||
| 33 | 35 | 1:55.82 | +5.45 | |||
| 34 | 41 | 1:56.21 | +5.84 | |||
| 35 | 42 | 1:56.30 | +5.93 | |||
| 36 | 36 | 1:58.55 | +8.18 | |||
| 37 | 50 | 2:01.21 | +10.84 | |||
| 38 | 48 | 2:02.98 | +12.61 | |||
| 39 | 54 | 2:04.85 | +14.48 | |||
| 40 | 47 | 2:05.61 | +15.24 | |||
| 41 | 46 | 2:07.34 | +16.97 | |||
| 42 | 55 | 2:08.81 | +18.44 | |||
| 43 | 51 | 2:09.88 | +19.51 | |||
| 44 | 56 | 2:09.94 | +19.57 | |||
| 45 | 52 | 2:12.84 | +22.47 | |||
| - | 9 | DNF | - | |||
| - | 17 | DNF | - | |||
| - | 18 | DNF | - | |||
| - | 20 | DNF | - | |||
| - | 27 | DNF | - | |||
| - | 31 | DNF | - | |||
| - | 43 | DNF | - | |||
| - | 44 | DNF | - | |||
| - | 53 | DNF | - | |||
| - | 29 | DQ | - |