Marco Odermatt led a Swiss clean sweep in the men's downhill at the Alpine Ski World Cup in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, on February 28, 2026. The victory, his first since the Milan Cortina Olympics, extended his lead in the season standings. Teammates Alexis Monney and Stefan Rogentin finished second and third, respectively.
The race marked the first men's downhill event since the Milan Cortina Olympics, where Odermatt finished fourth despite entering as a favorite. Odermatt edged out Monney by just 0.04 seconds down the demanding Kandahar course, with Rogentin 0.98 seconds behind in third. Austria's Vincent Kriechmayr and Italy's Giovanni Franzoni tied for fourth, 1.20 seconds off the pace, while Olympic champion Franjo von Allmen placed sixth after mistakes midway through his run, 1.47 seconds behind Odermatt.
The result boosted Odermatt's lead over von Allmen to 175 points in the downhill standings, with two races remaining. A win earns 100 points. Odermatt, who has won the downhill title the past two seasons, described the victory as "a bit of a revenge" after his Olympic disappointment. "It was certainly a bit of a revenge today, too," he said. This marked his 54th career World Cup win, tying him with Austrian Hermann Maier for third on the men's all-time list, behind Ingemar Stenmark (86) and Marcel Hirscher (67). Mikaela Shiffrin holds the overall record with 108 wins.
The season has featured a close duel between Odermatt and von Allmen, friends and teammates. Odermatt opened with back-to-back wins and triumphed in Wengen, but von Allmen responded with victories, including in Crans-Montana before the Olympics. Von Allmen, who won three golds in Milan Cortina (downhill, super-G, and team combined), attributed his sixth place to being "a little bit too direct" and not smooth enough.
Monney, returning to form after a fifth-place Olympic finish, praised the technical course. "This slope I like it because it’s really technical," he said. Rogentin, securing his first podium of the season, noted a shaky start but solid performance overall. "The feeling wasn’t that good... but I was pretty fast in the upper part," he said.
Several skiers, including France's Nils Alphand (shoulder and rib injuries, out three weeks) and Finland's Elian Lehto (chest and lower limb injuries, non-life-threatening), missed the race after crashing in Friday's training. A super-G is set for Sunday on the same hill.
