Tiger Woods’ lost tooth, Bode Miller’s one-ski show among tales from Olympic alpine slopes
After being held at past 3 Winter Games at new venues, the Olympics downhill racing programme returns next month to well-known, iconic courses
Tiger Woods’ tooth might still be buried at the bottom of the Cortina downhill course ever since a wild day – and a record-breaking run – more than a decade ago by his girlfriend at the time, Lindsey Vonn.
A decade earlier, and mountains away, Bode Miller turned in a famous performance on only one ski down the feared Stelvio course in Bormio.
These two courses contain so much history, tradition and tales as the Olympics return to iconic venues known well on alpine skiing’s World Cup circuit. Downhill racing at the past three Winter Games – Sochi in 2014, Pyeongchang in 2018 and Beijing in 2022 – was held at completely new sites.
Women’s skiing at the Games will be on the Olympia delle Tofane course in Cortina d’Ampezzo, which has hosted the World Cup circuit’s signature races for decades. The Cortina course features a rhythmic track where racers can reach speeds hovering around 130km/h (80mph).
Even James Bond made a famous trip down the slopes of Cortina when 007 out-skied villains in the 1981 movie For Your Eyes Only.
Men’s skiing will be held on the Stelvio in Bormio, which is known as the most physically demanding course on the World Cup circuit.