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Winter Olympics

Winter Olympics 2022: What is the difference between Downhill and Super G?

Alpine Skiing is, without a doubt, one of the most attractive events of the Winter Olympics games. The speed of skiers is amazing, downhill and super g have differences and athletes prepare differently for each event.

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By richard tovar

Alpine Skier Christof Innerhofer of Italy (Futbolsites)
© Ramsey Cardy/SPORTSFILE, SportsfileAlpine Skier Christof Innerhofer of Italy (Futbolsites)

Alpine Skiing events at the 2022 Winter Olympics start on February 7, 2022 and end on February 19. The first Alpine Skiing event is the Men’s downhill which will take place at the Rock course located in the Yanqing District, China. The last day of the races will be a mixed team event.

For obvious reasons Alpine Skiing is one of the main sports of the Winter Olympics, but this sport was not present in the first games of 1924, although the events have been played since 1936 without interruption.

The top 5 winning nations in Alpine Skiing at the Winter Olympics are Austria with 121 medals (37 gold, 41 silver, 43 bronze), Switzerland with 66 medals (22 gold, 22 silver, 22 bronze), United States with 47 medals (17 gold, 20 silver , 10 bronze), France 48 medals (15 gold, 16 silver, 17 bronze) and Italy with 32 medals (14 gold, 9 silver, 9 bronze).

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What is the difference between Downhill and Super G?

Two very similar events but with obvious differences since Downhill, as the name of the event says, has a focus on speed, skiers pass through big gates as part of the track. While in Super G (giant slalom), it is an event where the skiers focus on two things which are speed and turning, the skiers must pass through the gates/markers that are on the course as obstacles.

Other important differences between Downhill and Super G is the equipment, since both sports are quite similar but athletes use different ski poles especially in Super G for high speed turns.

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On the tracks, Super G competitors cannot “test” the track, but Downhill skiers can do several track tests before the official race. Furthermore, athletes in Super G only have one chance at their best time to qualify, while in Downhill competitors can race twice.

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