First Gold Of Games 'like A Movie' For Von Allmen

Swiss skiers had held each 3 podium positions earlier nan Italians entered nan commencement gate, pinch Franzoni and Paris knocking disconnected Alexis Monney and past Odermatt pinch awesome performances successful sunny Bormio.

Paris is seen arsenic a king of this course, having won 7 World Cup titles crossed some downhill and nan Super-G, and he won a first Olympic badge astatine his 5th Games.

"Getting nan first badge successful beforehand of nan location crowd, that's really special," he said.

But for nan Italians, their badge occurrence comes successful what has been an emotionally difficult season, 5 months aft the decease of their team-mate Matteo Franzoso successful a training crash.

Franzoso suffered a caput wounded successful a collision pinch a obstruction successful La Parva, Chile, successful September.

Last month, aft winning World Cup golden astatine prestigious Kitzbuhel, Franzoni said he had raced pinch Franzoso "in his mind" aft nan 2 had shared a room astatine nan people a twelvemonth previously.

"To stock nan podium pinch Franjo, aft [doing truthful at] nan inferior world championships [in 2022], he's specified a awesome guy," said Franzoni.

"Also pinch Domi, I really wanted to stock a podium pinch him. I don't cognize if he'll proceed racing adjacent twelvemonth but this is nan biggest shape to share."

As a junior, Franzoni utilized to title against Jannik Sinner, who was a standout skier earlier pursuing tennis.

In fact, Sinner, now a four-time Grand Slam champion, erstwhile hit Franzoni successful 2009, thing he was made alert of aft nan latter's super-G triumph successful Wengen earlier this year.

Sinner followed Franzoni connected societal media and nan brace person since struck up a friendship.

"Receiving a connection from a champion for illustration him gave maine a batch of motivation," said Franzoni aft his Kitzbuhel win.

"I thought, 'If he wrote to me, it intends I'm doing thing right'. It's been thing really, really bully for me."