Downhill champion Defago to help design Olympic ski courses

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) Olympic downhill gold medalist Didier Defago is starting a new career helping to design Alpine ski courses for the Winter Games.

Defago's management company says the 2010 Vancouver Games champion from Switzerland will assist long-time Olympic course designer Bernhard Russi.

Defago retired from racing when the World Cup season ended in March.

He and Russi recently worked together in South Korea to study the Jeongseon Alpine Centre site which will stage speed races at the 2018 Olympics.

Russi, the 1972 Sapporo Games downhill champion, and Defago are among only three Swiss men to win gold in Olympic skiing's glamor event.