OLYMPICS: Alpine skiing-Odermatt out to reclaim spotlight as Von Allmen and Franzoni renew rivalry

When Switzerland's Franjo von Allmen pipped Italy's Giovanni Franzoni to gold by a whisker in the Olympic downhill it cemented a new rivalry that could dominate Alpine skiing's speed disciplines for years to come.

Von Allmen's illustrious teammate Marco Odermatt will, however, aim to reassert his authority in Wednesday's Olympic super-G after being eclipsed so far by the two upstarts on the Stelvio.

The 28-year-old Odermatt, on the verge of a fifth successive overall World Cup title, was tipped for multiple golds at the Milano-Cortina Games but finished fourth in the downhill before taking a silver alongside Loic Meillard in the team combined.

Instead, Von Allmen, who won the combined alongside Tanguy Nef, heads into the super-G with the possibility of becoming the first male Alpine skier since Jean‑Claude Killy in 1968 to win three gold medals at the same Olympics.

Von Allmen and Franzoni, both 24, have been almost inseparable so far on the Stelvio - bringing contrasting styles to one of the world's most demanding tracks.

The winning margin in Saturday's downhill was 0.20 seconds while in the downhill leg of the combined it was Franzoni who set the quickest time, although he missed a medal.

"Me and Franjo are the youngest here and it's cool to be in the new generation of Alpine skiers," Franzoni said on sharing the Olympic podium with the Swiss. "Being back on the podium together after the junior world championships is amazing.

"He's so inspiring for me, because he can enjoy all the races with a smile, and with a lot of pressure it seems, and he's such a great athlete and skier."

'OPPOSING STYLES ... SAME AMBITION'

Their friendly rivalry began in earnest at the 2022 world junior championships when Franzoni beat Von Allmen to downhill gold by 0.24 seconds while the result was reversed in the super-G with Von Allmen in silver and Franzoni in bronze.

Von Allmen developed more quickly and made his big breakthrough in 2025 when he became downhill world champion. Franzoni's arrived in the build-up to the Olympics when he triumphed in the iconic Kitzbuehel downhill, stunning Odermatt by 0.07 seconds, after claiming his maiden World Cup victory in the super-G in Wengen.

"The rivalry between Von Allmen and Franzoni illustrates the revival of the downhill skiers," French former Olympic champion JP Vidal, working for Eurosport France during the Games, told Reuters. "Von Allmen imposes his raw power and commitment while Franzoni is more composed and precise.

"Opposing styles but the same ambition. For me Franzoni has the better technical qualities for the super-G."

Wednesday's race will take place on a shortened Stelvio course with more turns. While relatively slower than the downhill, it will be far more technical, which is why Odermatt will be most people's favourite for victory.

"He has a unique ability to read the terrain and maintain speed and he is both committed and technically flawless," Vidal said. "The combined silver has also taken off some pressure."

Odermatt said after Monday's combined that he now had a "souvenir" of the Games to take home.

But he will want much more and Wednesday's super-G will be his opportunity to remind everyone just why he has been the dominant male skier of his generation.

The final speed event of the men's programme will not just be a Swiss-Italian battle though.

Austrians Vincent Kriechmayr and Stefan Babinsky both have pedigree in the discipline while American duo Ryan Cochran-Siegle and River Radamus are expected to go well.

-Reporting by Martyn Herman/Reuters