The Men's downhill competition of the 1960 Winter Olympics was held at Squaw Valley on Monday, February 22. The race was postponed from February 19, due to heavy snow fall.
Austrian Toni Sailer, the defending Olympic and world champion, did not compete as he had previously retired.
Jean Vuarnet, the bronze medalist at the world championships two years earlier, won by a half-second in the only Olympic event of his career. It was the first time an Olympic race was won on metal skis. Vuarnet's winning time of 126.0 seconds yielded an average speed of , with an average vertical descent rate of .
The starting gate was at the top of Squaw Peak at an elevation of ; the course length was , with a vertical drop of .
Helmets This was the first Olympic downhill in which crash helmets were mandatory, following the race death in 1959 of Canadian John Semmelink at Garmisch, West Germany. During his final race, Semmelink wore a leather helmet, which was more protection than many racers used at the time. The U.S. Ski Team first wore crash helmets at the 1956 Winter Olympics, but most of the Europeans went without.
Results Monday, February 22, 1960 The race was started at 10:00 local time, (UTC −8). Rank Name Country Time Difference Jean Vuarnet 2:06.0 — Hans Peter Lanig 2:06.5 +0.5 Guy Périllat 2:06.9 +0.9 4 Willi Forrer 2:07.8 +1.8 5 Roger Staub 2:08.9 +2.9 6 Bruno Alberti 2:09.1 +3.1 7 Karl Schranz 2:09.2 +3.2 8 Charles Bozon 2:09.6 +3.6 9 Willy Bogner 2:09.7 +3.7 10 Egon N. Zimmermann 2:09.8 +3.8 11 Luggi Leitner 2:10.2 +4.2 12 Paride Milianti 2:10.8 +4.8 13 Jakob Arduser 2:10.9 +4.9 14 Dave Gorsuch 2:11.0 +5.0 15 Pepi Stiegler 2:13.1 +7.1 16 Eberhard Riedel 2:13.3 +7.3 17 Gordi Eaton 2:14.0 +8.0 18 Max Marolt 2:14.2 +8.2 19 Anderl Molterer 2:15.1 +9.120 Nando Pajarola 2:15.4 +9.4 Oddvar Rønnestad 22 Marvin Melville 2:15.9 +9.9 Verne Anderson 24 Italo Pedroncelli 2:16.8 +10.8 25 Felice De Nicolo 2:18.1 +12.1 26 Jean-Guy Brunet 2:18.2 +12.2 27 Frederick Tommy 2:18.4 +12.4 28 Don Bruneski 2:19.9 +13.9 29 Georgi Varoshkin 2:20.0 +14.0 30 Georgi Dimitrov 2:20.2 +14.2 31 Francisco Cortes 2:20.8 +14.8 32 Vicente Vera 2:24.5 +18.5 33 Jóhann Vilbergsson 2:24.6 +18.6 34 Chiharu Igaya 2:25.0 +19.0 35 Charlach Mackintosh 2:25.1 +19.1 36 Kristinn Benediktsson 2:26.0 +20.0 37 Eysteinn Þórðarson 2:26.2 +20.2 38 Hernán Boher 2:26.7 +20.7 39 Victor Tagle 2:26.9 +20.9 40 Geoff Pitchford 2:27.3 +21.3 41 Adolf Fehr 2:27.4 +21.4 42 Manuel García-Moran 2:27.6 +21.6 43 Robert Skepper 2:28.1 +22.1 44 Luis Sánchez 2:28.3 +22.3 45 Osvaldo Ancinas 2:28.4 +22.4 46 Osamu Tada 2:28.5 +22.5 47 Aleksandar Shalamanov 2:29.0 +23.0 48 Sam Chaffey 2:29.3 +23.3 49 Silvan KindleHermann Kindle 2:29.4 +23.4 51 Luis Arias 2:29.8 +23.8 52 Bill Day 2:30.5 +24.5 53 Masayoshi Mitani 2:31.3 +25.3 54 Bill Hunt 2:32.0 +26.0 55 John Oakes 2:36.0 +30.0 56 Ibrahim Geagea 2:39.2 +33.2 57 Peter Brockhoff 2:39.7 +33.7 58 Zeki Şamiloğlu 2:42.4 +36.4 59 Nazih Geagea 3:00.3 +54.3 60 Clemente Tellechea 3:20.2 +1:14.2 61 Im Gyeong-sun 3:34.4 +1:28.4 - Adrien Duvillard DQ - - Muzaffer Demirhan DQ -
References
External links YouTube: Flame in the Snow – an official film of the VIII Olympic Winter Games (1960) – Men's downhill (8:50 to 11:34) VIII Olympic Winter Games 1960 Squaw Valley, California, Final Report Published by the California Olympic Commission, California State Printing Office, July 1960.