With the downhill event having qualifying on Friday five Americans were seeking to ensure themselves a spot in the finals. Aaron Gwin, winner from Lourdes, finished third in qualifying. Others to advance were Eliot Jackson in 22nd, Neko Mulally in 33rd, and Luca Shaw in 34th. Luca Cometti just missed out on qualifying as he finished 84th. He was about 1.6 seconds behind the final qualifier. Gwin will race for his second straight gold on Saturday.

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