In a stunning pre-Olympic upset, Italian skier Giovanni Franzoni captured victory at the prestigious Kitzbuehel downhill event on Saturday, edging out Swiss favorite Marco Odermatt by a mere 0.07 seconds. The World Cup race, often hailed as alpine skiing’s equivalent of the Super Bowl, saw Franzoni complete the challenging 3.3km Streif course in 1 minute 52.31 seconds under overcast conditions before tens of thousands of spectators.
The 24-year-old Italian, who previously never considered himself a downhill specialist, delivered a technically masterful run reaching speeds of 144 km/h (89 mph) while navigating the course’s notorious 80-meter jumps and extreme 85% gradient sections. France’s Maxence Muzaton claimed third place at 0.39 seconds behind the leader, despite starting with the disadvantageous bib number 29.
Franzoni emotionally dedicated his victory to former teammate Matteo Franzoso, who tragically died in a training accident in Chile last September. “I had an emotional moment at the start because of Matteo,” Franzoni revealed. “This is the race to dedicate to him because of Kitzbuehel’s legendary status. I know he’s watching from heaven.”
The win marks only Franzoni’s second World Cup victory but carries extraordinary significance as the ultimate achievement in downhill skiing. “Taking a first podium in Wengen and a first victory in Kitzbuehel is unbelievable,” he stated. “Every downhill skier wants to win here—it’s everyone’s dream.”
For Odermatt, the current super-G champion who had won three of four World Cup downhills this season, the narrow defeat proved particularly painful. “I feel stupid that I can be that disappointed about second place,” the Swiss skier admitted. “Victory was my big goal, my big dream. I didn’t make it.”
The event attracted celebrity spectators including former Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp, football legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who declared the Hahnenkamm “the best run with the best athletes” before enthusiastically listing his favorite Austrian foods.
Notably, the competition concluded without serious crashes on a course known for dangerous wipeouts, providing positive momentum ahead of the February 6-22 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics where Franzoni will compete with newfound confidence on home snow.