Switzerland claims first gold medal of Milan Cortina Olympics in men’s downhill
Swiss world champion Franjo von Allmen has taken home the first gold medal of the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, beating out Italian favorite and Bormio specialist Dominik Paris in the men’s downhill by fifty-hundredths of a second.
The 24-year-old skier, competing in his first Olympics, held the top of the podium for most of the final at Stelvio Ski Center in Bormio on Saturday morning. He finished his run in 1:51.61, reaching top speeds of 83.77 mph in the final stretch of his run.
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The host nation picked up two medals to round out the podium.
Italian skier Giovanni Franzoni, 24, earned a silver medal in his first Winter Olympics, finishing two-tenths of a second behind von Allmen. Paris, a record six-time World Cup winner in Bormio, earned a bronze medal in what is his fifth Olympics.
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The Americans fell short in the first medal event of Milan Cortina.
Kyle Negomir finished in the top 10 in his first Olympic appearance, three-time Olympians Bryce Bennett and Ryan Cochran-Siegle finished 13th and 18th, respectively; and first-time Olympian Sam Morse finished 19th.
Team USA will have another opportunity to medal on Saturday in the women’s cross country skiing skiathlon, women’s 3000-meter speed skating, women’s normal hill ski jumping and the men’s snowboard Big Air final.
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