Franjo von Allmen claimed gold in the downhill at the Alpine Skiing World Championships on Sunday, as the Swiss team dominated the men’s speed events. The 23-year-old, competing in his first World Championships, secured a remarkable victory in the premier event, just two days after his teammate Marco Odermatt won gold in the super-G, despite placing 12th in the downhill.
“I can’t believe it, I’m trying to process my emotions, but it feels incredible,” Von Allmen said. “I had no pressure, nothing to lose, just focused on giving my best performance.”
Von Allmen won the gold by 0.24 seconds, beating Austria’s Vincent Kriechmayr, who took silver. Kriechmayr had won both the downhill and super-G titles at the previous World Championships four years ago. Swiss teammate Alexis Monney earned the bronze, finishing 0.31 seconds behind the winner. Defending champion Marco Odermatt finished in fifth place.
“After the super-G, I thought to myself, ‘Now is the time to attack, I have nothing to lose.’ I took a big risk, pushing myself to the limit, and it paid off,” Von Allmen explained.
Switzerland has been a dominant force in the downhill events on the World Cup circuit this season, with four wins and five second-place finishes from five races. Von Allmen highlighted that sharing the podium with his teammate Monney on Sunday showcased the strength and depth of the Swiss team.
“Marco dominated the super-G, and today, two others are on the podium. It creates a great atmosphere in the team,” Von Allmen shared. “Some days it’s Marco, other days it’s me, Monney, or (Stefan) Rogentin. All of us can perform at a high level, and that motivates each other a lot.”
While Von Allmen has yet to win a downhill race on the World Cup circuit, he has finished as a runner-up three times this season and claimed a super-G victory in Wengen.
A trained carpenter, Von Allmen still works on construction sites during the offseason. His skiing journey nearly came to an end when he was 17, after his father passed away and he struggled financially to continue his career.
Von Allmen launched a crowdfunding campaign that raised around 16,000 Swiss francs ($17,600). This financial support helped him make the national C team the following year. He went on to win three silver medals, including one in downhill, at the 2022 Junior World Championships in Canada.
Vitus Luond, a former World Cup skier and long-time coach with the Swiss team, described Von Allmen’s rise as “incredible.” “I don’t think he realizes it,” Luond said. “He was part of my training group when he was very young, and I could see his huge potential. But for him to perform at such a high level so quickly, week after week, is truly amazing.”
Racing in partly cloudy conditions with slightly warmer temperatures than the earlier training runs, Von Allmen struggled a bit in the first part of the course as his skis rattled over the bumps. However, he reached a top speed of over 121 kph (75 mph) and nailed two impressive jumps, where competitors soared up to 45 meters (49 yards).
After completing his run, Von Allmen flashed a V-sign and pretended to bite his nails while sitting in the leader’s seat. No one came close to matching his time, not even Odermatt, who started just minutes after him.
“A good run in some parts, but I wasn’t able to deliver a clean run from start to finish. I made two or three mistakes, and with that, you can’t win the downhill World Championship,” said the three-time overall World Cup champion, who finished 0.66 seconds behind.
“We have a great team spirit, we enjoy each other’s company, and we support one another. They were there to celebrate with me on Friday, and now I’ll be there to celebrate with them,” Odermatt added.
Italian veteran Dominik Paris finished in fourth, 0.45 seconds behind, while Bryce Bennett was the top American finisher in 10th place.
The highlight event of the World Championships drew a crowd of 22,500 spectators, with 15,000 packed into the sold-out stands near the finish line.
Several notable skiers were absent due to injury, including former overall World Cup champion Aleksander Aamodt Kilde from Norway and French speed specialist Cyprien Sarrazin.
The next event at the World Championships is the new women’s team combined, where one racer competes in the downhill and a teammate races in the slalom, with both times combined. This event is scheduled for Tuesday.