Olympic Bormio: Von Allmen crowned, Franzoni dedicates silver to departed friend

Under brilliant sunshine bathing the Stelvio's slopes, Franjo von Allmen etched his name into alpine skiing's pantheon by capturing Saturday's men's Olympic downhill, the first gold medal of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Games. At 24, the Swiss racer tamed Bormio's fearsome course in 1:51.61, narrowly edging Italy's Giovanni Franzoni (+0.20) and veteran Dominik Paris (+0.50), who delivered the host nation its first two medals on home snow. In a script worthy of Hollywood, the young Swiss prodigy repeated his 2025 World Championships triumph, once again denying Marco Odermatt a podium finish.

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Von Allmen: From crowdfunding to Olympic gold

Franjo von Allmen's journey could serve as a Hollywood screenplay. At 17, following his father's sudden death, the young skier from Boltigen lacked the financial means to continue his career. A crowdfunding campaign allowed him to pursue his dreams. Seven years later, he became Olympic champion in his very first Olympic race, joining the exclusive circle of five Swiss men crowned in Olympic downhill.

"It feels like a movie," he told NBC, still in shock. "How could you imagine the Olympics better than to start with a gold medal?" On the Stelvio, notorious for its treacherous bumps and changing light, the Bernese skier delivered a near-flawless descent. Hitting speeds of 145 km/h in the fastest sections, he navigated the mythical San Pietro jump with stunning ease, soaring 50 meters before touching down at 140 km/h.

Franzoni: Silver dedicated to a departed angel

While von Allmen wrote the perfect script, Giovanni Franzoni came agonizingly close to matching it. Just two-tenths from gold, the 24-year-old Italian claimed Olympic silver in a season that will remain forever etched in memory. Since December, everything has unfolded at breakneck speed: first World Cup podium in Val Gardena, victories in Wengen and on Kitzbühel's legendary Streif. A meteoric rise that nevertheless conceals immense pain.

"This medal is a dream. I dedicate it to Franzoso," he told Sky Italia, his voice heavy with emotion. Matteo Franzoso, his close friend and former roommate, died last September following a violent training accident in Chile. In every race since, Franzoni has skied with this memory anchored in his heart. In Kitzbühel, he had looked skyward as he crossed the line. In Bormio, before his home Lombardy crowd, he offered his departed friend the most beautiful tribute.

"This is my dream podium," added the Manerba del Garda native. "I've always looked up to Dom. To share this moment with him is incredible." The emotional embrace between Franzoni and Paris at the finish will remain one of the defining images of these Games. For Italy, it's a historic moment: never before had the squadra azzurra captured two downhill medals at the same Olympic Winter Games.

Paris: Finally crowned after five Olympics

At 36 and in his fifth Olympic Games, Dominik Paris finally secured the medal that had eluded him. The "King of Bormio," holder of the absolute record with seven World Cup victories on the Stelvio, delivered a dream finish for the Italian crowd. Posting the fastest time in the upper section, the South Tyrolean veteran skied with pure class to snatch bronze and, in the same motion, knock Marco Odermatt off the podium.

The bear hug he gave Franzoni seconds after his run, as the young Italian realized he was heading for the podium, perfectly illustrated the generational handover. Paris, a heavy metal singer in his spare time with his band "Rise of Voltage," joked after the race: "I'm certainly a better skier, but if you like metal, I'm not so bad."

Odermatt: The favorite off the podium

Marco Odermatt's disappointment was palpable. The four-time overall Crystal Globe winner and race favorite had to settle for a cruel fourth place. Starting with bib 7, the Nidwalden native briefly found himself in the lead before being overtaken by von Allmen, then pushed off the podium by the Italian duo's surge.

This scenario eerily echoes the 2025 World Championships in Saalbach, where von Allmen had already bested "Odi" in downhill. The Swiss ace keeps his chances intact to shine in Wednesday's Super-G and especially in giant slalom, his specialty, where he'll start as the overwhelming favorite.

The Stelvio, merciless judge

With its maximum gradient of 63%, treacherous turns, and vertiginous San Pietro jump, Bormio's Stelvio fully justifies its reputation as the circuit's most feared course. Designed in the 1980s by Aldo Anzi, a former Italian national team member, it delivers thrills from the opening seconds: the best racers hit 150 km/h just fifteen seconds after the near-vertical start.

"It's the wall," the course architect explained about the San Pietro jump. Skiers approach it at 100 km/h, soar through the air for 50 to 60 meters, and land back on snow at nearly 140 km/h. American racer Bryce Bennett, 13th on Saturday in his final Olympics, had confessed to suffering "trauma" descending the Stelvio. Only 36 competitors lined up at the start, an unusually low number testifying to the respect this descent commands.

Americans fall short

The American delegation had hoped for better in the alpine events' opener. The surprise came from Kyle Negomir, 27, who delivered a superb performance to claim tenth place with bib 27. "It was a blast," enthused the Colorado skier. "The most fun any of us will have skiing Bormio, and to show what we've spent the last 25 years perfecting to such a big audience is super special."

The emotion lay elsewhere for Bryce Bennett. At 33, the veteran was competing in his final Olympic race before the eyes of his wife Kelley and baby daughter Kate. Finishing 13th, he struggled to hold back tears in the mixed zone. As for Ryan Cochran-Siegle, silver medalist in 2022, he never found his rhythm and had to settle for 18th place (+2.02). "I probably didn't bring enough intensity, enough power, as is required," he acknowledged.

Crawford disappointed, Hemetsberger courageous

Canadian James Crawford, ninth, displayed his frustration. "I definitely brought a level that could have won the race today, just a few mistakes unfortunately cost me that podium. On such a tough course, when you make an error, it's really hard to come back from it." Austrian Daniel Hemetsberger deserves full praise. Just two days after a violent training crash, he opened the Olympic race and finished seventh (+0.97), posting his team's best result.

A perfect day in Bormio

After weather uncertainties in preceding days, Saturday, February 7 offered ideal conditions for the skiers. Brilliant sunshine, hard and perfectly prepared snow—the Stelvio presented its best face. The only shadow: lighting slightly deteriorated late in the race, penalizing later starters like Italy's Florian Schieder, sixteenth.

A symbol for Switzerland, an explosion of joy for Italy

This gold medal allows Switzerland to retain the Olympic men's downhill title following Beat Feuz's triumph at Beijing 2022. Von Allmen becomes the youngest Olympic champion in the discipline since Austria's Matthias Mayer, crowned at 23 in Sochi 2014. For the Swiss team, dominant at last year's World Championships in Saalbach, it's an ideal start to the Games.

But the loudest explosion of joy resonated on the Italian side. Twenty years after the Turin 2006 Games, Italy returned to alpine skiing's Olympic summit on home soil. The thousands of spectators massed at the foot of the Stelvio witnessed a historic moment as Franzoni and Paris mounted the podium together. For Italian skiing, a new chapter had just opened.

What's next

The Milano-Cortina Games continue without respite. Sunday, February 8, brings the women's downhill in Cortina d'Ampezzo, where Lindsey Vonn will attempt a historic comeback. The men return to the Stelvio on Monday for the mixed team combined event, before Wednesday's Super-G on February 11, where Odermatt starts as favorite to redeem himself. The giant slalom, the Swiss ace's specialty, is scheduled for February 15.

But Saturday, February 7 will remain etched in history as the day Franjo von Allmen, the kid who nearly quit at 17, became Olympic champion. The day Giovanni Franzoni paid the most beautiful tribute to his departed friend. And the day Dominik Paris, after five Olympics, finally claimed his long-awaited medal. On the Stelvio's vertiginous slopes, three destinies converged to give alpine skiing one of its finest days.

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