First Gold of 2026 Winter Olympics ‘like a Movie’ for Von Allmen

Swiss Alpine skier Franjo von Allmen claimed the first gold medal of the 2026 Winter Olympics in the men’s downhill at Bormio’s iconic Stelvio course. He finished in 1:51.61, just 0.20 seconds ahead of Italian rival Giovanni Franzoni, while Dominik Paris of Italy took bronze, edging out Swiss favourite Marco Odermatt.

Von Allmen described the moment as surreal: “It feels kind of like a movie, not really real. I can’t tell you what it means to me.” At just 24, von Allmen has enjoyed a meteoric rise. He became the youngest man in 36 years to win World Championship downhill gold in 2025 and had already claimed four World Cup titles before his Olympic breakthrough.

Carpentry Made Him Who He Is Today

This achievement has come at the end of a long and difficult road. After losing his father at the age of 17, he had to resort to crowdfunding to realise his skiing career. Now in the Swiss National squad, he credits his current levels of character and resilience to his youth, which was spent working each summer as a carpenter.

The Stelvio podium saw a dramatic shift as Italy’s Franzoni and Paris disrupted Swiss dominance. Franzoni, also 24, celebrated Italy’s first medal of the Games, while Paris, 36, earned his first Olympic medal at his fifth Games, adding to a decorated World Cup career. Franzoni said racing with the late Matteo Franzoso in mind added emotional significance to his performance.