Switzerland's Franjo von Allmen competes in men's downhill alpine skiing during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at the Stelvio Ski Centre in Bormio, Valtellina, Italy, February 7, 2026. DIMITAR DILKOFF / AFP
Switzerland's Franjo von Allmen claimed the first gold medal of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics as he blasted to victory in the men's downhill on Saturday, February 7, hours after the Games opened.
After a glittering ceremony in Milan and in venues across the Italian Alps on Friday, all eyes were trained on the most prestigious of all the Alpine skiing events in Bormio. In bright sunshine, reigning world champion Von Allmen mastered the fearsome Stelvio course while Marco Odermatt, his Swiss teammate and the pre-race favorite, could only finish fourth.
Von Allmen, 24, denied the host nation by finishing 0.20 seconds ahead of Italian Giovanni Franzoni and another Italian Dominik Paris, who took bronze.
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