Alpine-Forged by pain: How silver medallist Franzoni channelled grief into strength

LIVIGNO, Italy, Feb 13 : For Italian Alpine skier Giovanni Franzoni, the defining force behind his rapid rise to Olympic glory has not just been speed or talent but resilience, a strength he says was forged in injury and deepened by the loss of a close teammate.

Franzoni, 24, won silver in the Winter Games downhill in Bormio, capping a standout season marked by World Cup victories in Kitzbuehel and Wengen, as well as two podium finishes.

Three years ago, however, a serious injury requiring lengthy rehab threatened to derail his career.

Last year, he also had to cope with the death of close friend Matteo Franzoso following a training crash, a tragedy that shook the Alpine skiing world.

Standing with the silver medal around his neck, Franzoni said the loss, rather than breaking him, had given him the inner strength to overcome setbacks on his path back to the podium, results he regularly dedicates to his late friend.

"Especially on the bad days, I use that energy to push harder, to push myself to the limit, to fight within myself and try to do my best every day — not only for me, but also for him," Franzoni told Reuters.

That inner journey has also made it possible for Franzoni to gain a broader perspective on life: "Enjoy every day because we don’t know if it’s the last or not."

LENGTHY REHAB TAUGHT FRANZONI DISCIPLINE

The long months of daily rehabilitation also helped the Italian athlete create a winning mindset.

"It was the discipline to do the rehab and all the work every day, not just on the days when I felt motivated. That discipline brought me here today with this medal," he said.

The pain of losing a colleague has made him sensitive to others facing similar grief. Asked about a Ukrainian skeleton athlete disqualified for