 The vertical drop of the "Dave Murray Downhill" course was , starting at an elevation of above sea level, with a length of .Défago's winning time of 114.31 seconds yielded an average course speed of , with an average vertical descent speed of .This was the seventeenth edition of the men's downhill at the Olympics and the time margins between the medalists were the closest in history; only 0.09 seconds separated gold and bronze.