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

BORMIO, Italy, Feb 10 : 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