Downhill Racer 1969

American downhill skier David Chappellet arrives in Wengen, Switzerland, aiming to join the U.S. ski team alongside newcomer D. K. Bryan. Both athletes are recruited by team coach Eugene Claire to fill in for Tommy Herb, a top skier who suffered an injury during an FIS competition. Hailing from the tranquil town of Idaho Springs, Colorado, Chappellet is driven and fixated on his dream of becoming a skiing champion, displaying a dismissive attitude toward teamwork. His defiance surfaces when he declines to race at the Lauberhorn due to an unfavorable starting position, opting instead to make his debut at the Arlberg-Kandahar in Austria, where he achieves a remarkable fourth-place finish. However, his season ends with a crash at the challenging Hahnenkamm-Rennen in Kitzbühel, Austria.

During the summer, Chappellet continues his training with the team in Oregon. A visit to his father in Idaho Springs reveals a strained relationship, filled with silence. He reconnects briefly with an old girlfriend, but his lack of emotional engagement becomes evident as they share an intimate moment in the back seat of his father’s old Chevrolet. When confronted by his father about his dedication to skiing, Chappellet expresses his ambition to become an Olympic champion, leading to his father’s disheartening remark: “The world’s full of ‘em.”

As winter returns, Chappellet triumphantly wins the Grand Prix de Megève and catches the eye of Machet, a ski manufacturer eager to have him endorse their products. However, Chappellet is more intrigued by Machet’s alluring assistant, Carole Stahl. A chance meeting at a bakery sparks a romance that leads them to ski together in Wengen and share a passionate night.

His success continues as he clinches victory at the Hahnenkamm in Kitzbühel, yet his arrogance begins to alienate both teammates and coaches. Johnny Creech, the team’s leading racer, candidly remarks to assistant coach Mayo, “He’s never been for the team, and he never will be.” Mayo retorts, “Well, it’s not exactly a team sport, is it?” Despite his solitary success, Chappellet secures his spot on the Olympic team for the next season.

Throughout the summer, his relationship with Carole flourishes, but as the third season kicks off, Chappellet’s invitation for her to spend Christmas together ends in disappointment when she fails to arrive. A subsequent trip to Zurich reveals she is celebrating the holiday with her family. Days later, an unexpected encounter in Wengen reveals the bitter truth: Carole has moved on, leading Chappellet to face the end of what they once shared.

With just two weeks before the Olympic Games, following an intense day of training, Chappellet issues a dangerous challenge to Creech for a head-to-head race, much to the horror of the coaches. In a reckless maneuver, he forces Creech against a stone wall of a narrow-arched bridge, resulting in a near catastrophe. Tragedy strikes again during the Lauberhorn race when Creech suffers serious injuries, inadvertently positioning Chappellet as the team’s best hope for gold at the Olympics.

At the Olympic event, Chappellet finds himself competing against the formidable Austrian champion Max Meier. However, in a spectacular display of skill, he surpasses Meier’s time and finishes in first place as the crowd holds their breath. Yet, tension mounts as an overlooked German skier races in later seed times, clocking impressive splits. Just as the atmosphere thickens with anticipation, the German skater crashes before the finish line, sealing Chappellet’s fate as an Olympic gold medal champion. Their eyes meet in a fleeting moment before he is whisked away in triumph, recalling the intense journey it took to reach this pinnacle.