Super-G has only been included in the Winter Olympics since 1988, and we have delved into the history of the sport to bring you everything you need to know.
First Held | 1988 |
Most Gold Medals (Athlete) | Men: Kjetil Andre Aamodt (Norway, 3) |
Most Gold Medals (Athlete) | Women: No female skier has more than one gold |
Most Gold Medals (Country) | Austria (7 - 3 men's, 4 women's) |
2022 Gold Medal Winner (men) | Matthias Mayer (Austria) |
2022 Gold Medal Winner (women) | Lara Gut-Behrami (Switzerland) |
Events
Men's Super-G
Women's Super-G
How does Super G work?
Super-G was the most recent addition to the alpine skiing schedule at the Winter Olympic Games, first being held (along with the return of the Team Combined event) at the 1988 Games in Alberta, Canada.
It has been held - with men's and women's events - in each of the last 10 Winter Games.
Super-G is a shortened way of saying Super-Giant Slalom and slots in as the second-fastest of the four main disciplines, faster than the more technical slalom and giant slalom events, but still with more turns than the downhill event.
The first Super-G race was held in the 1982 World Cup season and it was added to the World Championship schedule in 1987, a year before its debut at the Olympics.
A Super-G course must have a vertical drop of 400m-650m at the Olympics for men and 400m–600m for women. The courses are at least 30m wide and open gates must be between 6m and 8m wide, with vertical gates between 8m and 12m wide. The number of direction changes on an Olympic course must be at least six per cent of the course drop in metres.
Franck Piccard of France was the inaugural winner of the Super-G Olympic gold in 1998, while Norway's Kjetil Andre Aamodt won the first of his three golds in 1992 and was also successful in 2002 and 2006.
Matthias Mayer, victorious for Austria in the last two Olympics, will not be going for a hat-trick in Italy this month as he retired shortly after his 2022 success.
Sigrid Wolf was the first Super-G women's gold medallist in 1988 and while no female competitor has won more than once, Michaela Dorfmeister of Austria took the silver in 1998 before winning gold in Turin in 2006.
2022 Olympic champion Lara Gut-Behrami of Switzerland has won the World Cup Super G in four of the last five years but will miss the Games in Italy due to injury.
2026 Venue
Both Super-G events at the 2026 Winter Olympics will be held at the Stelvio Ski Centre in Bormio, Italy.
Located on the Vallecetta mountain, Stelvio hosted the 1985 World Championships and is one of the steepest locations on the international circuit.
Bormio also hosted Skiing World Championships in 2005 and held the World Cup finals in 1995, 2000 and 2008.
The men's event is due to start at 10.30am GMT on Wednesday, 11th February, with the women's competition scheduled to take place at the same time on the following day, Thursday, 12th February.
Team GB History
Team GB Athlete with the most medals
Team GB has never had a medallist in either the men's or women's Super-G events at the Winter Olympic Games.
The best performance by a British male skier in the Super-G was joint-22nd place for Finlay Mickel at Sestriere, Turin in 2006 and there has not even been a British male competitor since Edward Drake was 32nd in 2010.
The most successful British female skier in the event is Chemmy Alcott, who was 28th in 2002, 19th in 2006 and 20th in 2010.
Facts & Trivia
Hermann Maier of Austria is considered the best ever super-G racer, with 24 World Cup wins and five World Cup titles. He won the 1999 World Championship and he secured his 1998 Olympic gold medal just three days after crashing in the downhill event.
A minimum ski length for the super-G was issued by the FIS in 2004 in a bid to improve safety. Skis then had to be at least 205cm long for men and 200cm for women.
Four nations have won Olympic golds in the men's Super-G with Norway winning five times and Austria three, while France and Germany have one gold each. The United States have never won but have claimed four silver medals and two bronzes.
Five nations have won gold in the women's Olympic Super-G with Austria taking four golds and 10 medals in all, ahead of Italy and the United States with two wins each, while Switzerland and the Czech Republic have a single success each.
Marco Odermatt of Switzerland has a clear lead in the 2025-26 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Super G standings with 425 points, ahead of Austrian trio Vincent Kriechmayr (267), Stefan Babinsky (243) and Raphael Haaser (241).
Italy's Sofia Goggia leads the women's World Cup Super-G standings with Alice Robinson of New Zealand in second place.
