BORMIO: Switzerland’s Franjo von Allmen scorched to victory in the men’s Olympic downhill in Bormio on Saturday, winning the first gold medal of the Milan-Cortina Winter Games.

Reigning world champion Von Allmen hit speeds of 145km/h (90mph) to clock a winning time of 1min 51.61sec down the testing Stelvio course.

The 24-year-old Swiss racer broke the hearts of the home nation, finishing ahead of the Italian pair of Giovanni Franzoni, who was 0.20sec behind, and Dominik Paris (+0.50).

Pre-race favourite Marco Odermatt, Von Allmen’s Swiss team-mate, could only finish fourth.

“It feels like a movie,” Von Allmen said.

“My secret is to enjoy skiing! I was really relaxed in the morning and tried to keep the good feelings... Skiing must be fun.

“We all skied because it was fun. It has to be in the foreground, be it skiing or any other profession, because you have to do it every day.”

Franzoni, also 24, said the nerves had kicked in at the start.

“I saw the runs from the Swiss guys, they were getting better and better. I thought it would be hard to beat them, but I skied really well,” he said. “It’s cool to be part of a new generation of alpine skiers, cool to be on podium.”

Alexis Monney was the first of the Swiss quartet to tackle the Stelvio, immediately taking the lead off Austria’s Daniel Hemetsberger.

Then came Odermatt, the in-form Swiss who is the runaway World Cup overall leader with three downhill victories to his name this season.

He snatched provisional top spot in beautiful, sunny conditions, but could only watch with bated breath as his understudy took to the start hut.

Von Allmen was fast out of the blocks and duly took the lead, soaring more than 50 metres off one jump to gasps from the large crowd packed into the tribune and around one side of the finish area.

It was a truly majestic display of skiing by the low-crouching Von Allmen, who has won two World Cup downhills this season.

His performance ensured he became the fifth Swiss men’s Olympic downhill champion since 1948 after Beat Feuz, Didier Defago, Pirmin Zurbriggen and Bernhard Russi.

Austria’s Vincent Kriechmayr, the 2021 double speed world champion, was hot on their heels, but failed to bother the leading Swiss trio.

The second gold of the games was won by Francesca Lollobrigida as she blasted to victory in the women’s 3,000 metres speed skating, bringing Italy its first gold medal of the the global showpiece in this edition.

Norway’s Ragne Wiklund and Canada’s Valerie Maltais joined her on the podium, taking silver and bronze, respectively.

Meanwhile, Nicola Hadraschek scored twice as Germany secured their first win of the women’s Olympic ice hockey tournament, beating Japan 5-2.

Hadraschek netted one midway through the first period at Milano Rho arena and scored again early in the second period of the Group ‘B’ match, while captain Daria Gleissner, forward Emily Nix and Laura Kluge also contributed goals.

Japan injected life into the game with two goals in 22 seconds late in the second quarter, courtesy of forwards Mei Miura and Yumeka Wajima, but German goalkeeper Sandra Abstreiter stopped the Japanese momentum in the final period.

In the other match on Saturday, hosts Italy lost 6-1 to Sweden.

Jessica Adolfsson put Sweden ahead in the 10th minute, Sofia Lundin doubled their lead 10 minutes into the second period and Sara Hjalmarsson added a third two minutes later.

Franziska Stocker pulled one back for the Italians six minutes before the end of the second period but Sweden restored their three-goal cushion just over a minute later through Hanna Olsson.

Thea Johansson netted twice in the third period to round out the win and Sweden can clinch their place in the last eight with victory over France on Sunday.

In the slopestyle qualifiers, double Olympic champion Eileen Gu rebounded from a fall in her first run, qualifying for the finals with a polished second run and setting up a battle with reigning gold medallist Mathilde Gremaud from Switzerland.

American-born Gu, who represents her mother’s country of China at the Olympics, lost her balance early in her first run and slipped off the first rail, an obstacle that tripped up several competitors on a sunny day in the northern Italian mountain town of Livigno.

She took a safer course on her next run to secure second place overall in the qualifying round, just behind Gremaud.

Britains Kirsty Muir finished third among the riders who qualified for Monday’s final. Italy’s Maria Gasslitter claimed the 12th and final spot.

Published in Dawn, February 8th, 2026