Swiss skier Franjo von Allmen won the men's downhill at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, securing the first gold medal of the Games with a time of 1:51.61 on the challenging Stelvio course in Bormio, Italy. Italy's Giovanni Franzoni took silver 0.20 seconds behind, while teammate Dominik Paris earned bronze. The victory marks von Allmen's first Olympic appearance and adds to his recent world championship title.
On a clear day in Bormio, the men's downhill opened the alpine skiing competition at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. Franjo von Allmen of Switzerland delivered a flawless run, clocking 1:51.61 to edge out the field. As the eighth starter, he built a 0.70-second lead over compatriot Marco Odermatt, who had briefly led but finished fourth in 1:52.31.
Von Allmen, 24, spoke of his approach post-race: "The secret? Try to enjoy skiing. I was really relaxed in the morning and tried to keep the good feelings from the training." His performance continues a dominant season, including a downhill win at the world championships in Austria last winter. Earlier challenges, including crowdfunding to continue racing after his father's death at age 17, underscored his resilience.
Home crowd favorites shone for Italy. Giovanni Franzoni, in a breakout season with recent World Cup victories in super-G and downhill, finished second in 1:51.81. "It’s such an amazing feeling," Franzoni said. "I thought it would be so hard to beat [the Swiss], but I skied pretty well."
Dominik Paris, 36, claimed bronze in 1:52.11, his first Olympic medal after five Games. A seven-time World Cup winner on the Stelvio course, Paris reflected: "It sounds awesome! I tried so long and so hard and having this success, with a home crowd, on a course that is my favourite, it means a lot."
Canada's Jack Crawford placed ninth in 1:53.00, noting minor errors cost him a podium. The event highlighted Swiss-Italian rivalry, with von Allmen and Franzoni having shared junior podiums in 2022.
Upcoming alpine races include women's downhill in Cortina d'Ampezzo on Sunday.
