Franjo Von Allmen Wins Downhill Gold at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games

Downhill World Champion Franjo von Allmen won the gold medal in the Men’s Downhill at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games. He completed a flawless run from start to finish at the Stelvio course in Bormio, defeating Italy's Giovanni Franzoni and Dominik Paris to claim Switzerland's first gold of the Milano Cortina Games.

At the age of 24, he won the Downhill Olympic title just one year after winning the World Championship title in Saalbach.

"It feels like a movie. I wanted to enjoy everything here, and I think I succeeded. I can't even say yet what all this means to me personally. Everything went perfectly. A few sectors could have been faster, but overall it was a very good run. To finish with such a big lead, I hadn't expected that," Von Allmen said.

Giovanni Franzoni, a 24-year-old Italian rising star, won a silver medal in his Olympic debut at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games. As a breakout star of the 2025-2026 winter season, he recently achieved his first World Cup victories, securing wins in the Super-G at Wengen and the Downhill in Kitzbuehel.

The young talents from Switzerland and Italy previously shared the podium at a major event. At the 2022 Alpine Junior World Ski Championships in Panorama Mountain Village, Canada, Giovanni Franzoni won the gold medal, while Franjo Von Allmen took the silver.

Dominik Paris claimed his first Olympic medal in Bormio at his fifth Winter Games. The 34-year-old Italian skier won the Downhill in Bormio six times (2012, 2017, 2018, a double in 2019, and 2021). Bormio means a lot to the Südtiroler, as many career highlights, including his first World Cup win, have come in the Italian ski resort.

Marco Odermatt is having his best World Cup Downhill season to date. He has won three out of six Downhill races and finished second twice. However, at the Olympic Winter Games—similar to his experience four years ago in Beijing—he was unable to achieve his dream of winning a Downhill medal. He finished in fourth place, narrowly missing the podium. This trend continues: at major events, Odermatt either wins gold or concludes without a medal.