Switzerland’s Franjo von Allmen claims first gold medal of the Games in Alpine skiing men’s downhill
The 24-year-old secures the Olympic title in Alpine skiing’s blue-riband event. Giovanni Franzoni (silver) and Dominik Paris (bronze) thrill the home crowd with Italy’s first two medals of Milano Cortina 2026.
By Sean McAlister
7 February 2026 11:59 GMT+04 min read
Switzerland’s Franjo von Allmen delivered a sensational performance to win the Alpine skiing men’s downhill title and claim the first gold medal of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games on Saturday (7 February).
The 24-year-old finished in a time of 1:51.61 in Alpine skiing’s ‘queen event’ at the Stelvio Ski Centre, with the 2025 world downhill champion showing mastery of a course considered one of the most challenging in the world.
Italy also picked up the first two of what they hope are many medals at the Games, with Giovanni Franzoni winning silver in 1:51.81 (+0.20) and Dominik Paris securing the final spot on the podium in 1:52.11 (+0.50).
"I think at the moment I can't really tell you in words what it means to me, for the moment it just feels like a movie," a thrilled von Allmen said in an interview with WBD after the race.
"Try to enjoy skiing, really," he added when asked about the secret to his success. 'Yeah, I was really relaxed in the morning and tried to keep the good feelings from the training, tried to fit all the pieces together from the training and just have fun skiing."
The new Olympic champion joins a long list of Swiss downhill winners, becoming the fifth gold medallist in the event from his country, with the last being Beat Feuz, who retired after triumphing at Beijing 2022.
And while von Allmen is sure to have many victories to celebrate in the future, few will be as sweet as this one claimed dominantly at his first Olympic Winter Games.
Silver medallist, Franzoni, was also delighted with his performance, saying: “It’s such an amazing feeling. This morning I was pretty calm but at the start I was becoming so nervous.
"I saw the runs from the Swiss guys, they were getting better and better. I thought it would be hard to beat them, but I skied really well.”
With the last Winter Olympic Games in Italy taking place in Turin in 2006, this will likely be the only chance Franzoni has to compete in front of his home support on the world's biggest sporting stage, and the young Italian was thrilled with the opportunity.
“The Italian people gave me a great message, with passion, with love," he said. "It gave me great energy to produce a great run. It’s unbelievable.”
Paris, who secured his maiden medal at the Games at the fifth attempt, also pointed to the influence of the passionate Italian crowd as he soared onto the podium.
"It's great to have this home crowd here. It's my fifth Olympics, and getting the first medal in front of the home crowd, that's really special."
While there was joy for the three medallists, the feeling was not the same for Switzerland's Marco Odermatt, as the pre-Games favourite and two-time Crystal Globe winner finished off the podium in fourth, +0.70 seconds back from his gold-winning compatriot.
"A disappointing race for me, obviously, but the feeling was actually good," Odermatt told Olympics.com. "I skied like I wanted, but it was not fast enough.”
The Swiss will need to dust himself down quickly, as the Alpine skiing action continues at pace at Milano Cortina 2026.
Von Allmen and Franzoni show Alpine skiing's bright future, as Paris wows crowd at fifth Winter Games
At just 24, von Allmen is the youngest Olympic downhill champion since Austria’s Matthias Mayer (23) at Sochi 2014 - and the fact that he has achieved this feat in his first outing at the Games makes the victory all the more impressive.
At the same age as von Allmen, Italy’s Franzoni looks to have an equally promising career ahead of him, after helping his nation make history as they won two downhill medals at a single edition of the Games for the first time in history.
But despite his recent accolades, the road to Milano Cortina 2026 has not been an easy one for the young racer from Brescia.
His silver medal comes just five months after he lost his close friend Matteo Franzoso after a training crash in Chile.
"This medal is a dream. I dedicate it to Franzoso," he told Sky Italia following the race.
While von Allmen and Franzoni represent the future of their sport, bronze-winner Paris (36) is at the opposite end of his career. The medal he secured today was his first in five appearances at the Winter Games, stretching back to Vancouver 2010, and delivered an unforgettable moment for the home crowd in Stelvio.
By Sean McAlister
7 February 2026 11:59 GMT+04 min read
Switzerland’s Franjo von Allmen delivered a sensational performance to win the Alpine skiing men’s downhill title and claim the first gold medal of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games on Saturday (7 February).
The 24-year-old finished in a time of 1:51.61 in Alpine skiing’s ‘queen event’ at the Stelvio Ski Centre, with the 2025 world downhill champion showing mastery of a course considered one of the most challenging in the world.
Italy also picked up the first two of what they hope are many medals at the Games, with Giovanni Franzoni winning silver in 1:51.81 (+0.20) and Dominik Paris securing the final spot on the podium in 1:52.11 (+0.50).
"I think at the moment I can't really tell you in words what it means to me, for the moment it just feels like a movie," a thrilled von Allmen said in an interview with WBD after the race.
"Try to enjoy skiing, really," he added when asked about the secret to his success. 'Yeah, I was really relaxed in the morning and tried to keep the good feelings from the training, tried to fit all the pieces together from the training and just have fun skiing."
The new Olympic champion joins a long list of Swiss downhill winners, becoming the fifth gold medallist in the event from his country, with the last being Beat Feuz, who retired after triumphing at Beijing 2022.
And while von Allmen is sure to have many victories to celebrate in the future, few will be as sweet as this one claimed dominantly at his first Olympic Winter Games.
Silver medallist, Franzoni, was also delighted with his performance, saying: “It’s such an amazing feeling. This morning I was pretty calm but at the start I was becoming so nervous.
"I saw the runs from the Swiss guys, they were getting better and better. I thought it would be hard to beat them, but I skied really well.”
With the last Winter Olympic Games in Italy taking place in Turin in 2006, this will likely be the only chance Franzoni has to compete in front of his home support on the world's biggest sporting stage, and the young Italian was thrilled with the opportunity.
“The Italian people gave me a great message, with passion, with love," he said. "It gave me great energy to produce a great run. It’s unbelievable.”
Paris, who secured his maiden medal at the Games at the fifth attempt, also pointed to the influence of the passionate Italian crowd as he soared onto the podium.
"It's great to have this home crowd here. It's my fifth Olympics, and getting the first medal in front of the home crowd, that's really special."
While there was joy for the three medallists, the feeling was not the same for Switzerland's Marco Odermatt, as the pre-Games favourite and two-time Crystal Globe winner finished off the podium in fourth, +0.70 seconds back from his gold-winning compatriot.
"A disappointing race for me, obviously, but the feeling was actually good," Odermatt told Olympics.com. "I skied like I wanted, but it was not fast enough.”
The Swiss will need to dust himself down quickly, as the Alpine skiing action continues at pace at Milano Cortina 2026.
Von Allmen and Franzoni show Alpine skiing's bright future, as Paris wows crowd at fifth Winter Games
At just 24, von Allmen is the youngest Olympic downhill champion since Austria’s Matthias Mayer (23) at Sochi 2014 - and the fact that he has achieved this feat in his first outing at the Games makes the victory all the more impressive.
At the same age as von Allmen, Italy’s Franzoni looks to have an equally promising career ahead of him, after helping his nation make history as they won two downhill medals at a single edition of the Games for the first time in history.
But despite his recent accolades, the road to Milano Cortina 2026 has not been an easy one for the young racer from Brescia.
His silver medal comes just five months after he lost his close friend Matteo Franzoso after a training crash in Chile.
"This medal is a dream. I dedicate it to Franzoso," he told Sky Italia following the race.
While von Allmen and Franzoni represent the future of their sport, bronze-winner Paris (36) is at the opposite end of his career. The medal he secured today was his first in five appearances at the Winter Games, stretching back to Vancouver 2010, and delivered an unforgettable moment for the home crowd in Stelvio.
26-30, F
