The first of the Alpine skiing festivities in Milan Cortina is in the books, with Ryan Cochran-Siegle (USA) posting the fastest time in the first men’s downhill training run on Wednesday in Bormio. He clocked in just under two minutes at 1:56.08.
The Olympic downhill trainings, of which there are three per gender (weather permitting), do not have medal ramifications. They hold no bearing on the start list for Saturday’s actual downhill event. They are dress rehearsals, an opportunity to gauge the Bormio course: where to look for speed, maximize aerodynamics, brace for the technical components.
Still, finishing first among the world’s elite — on the biggest stage — can be a major confidence booster. RCS appeared comfortable during his run, landing jumps and executing turns smoothly. Back in 2020, he won an FIS Alpine Ski World Cup in Bormio (albeit a super-G).
“I could run the full downhill right now in my head, even knowing how the course deteriorates,” he told NBC Sports in January. “Having that familiarity, knowing where you need to be pushing, whether it’s line, aerodynamics, physicality, those types of things will be important in trying to put down the best run of my life.”
Cochran-Siegle was the only American, man or woman, to earn a medal in Alpine skiing at the 2022 Beijing Games.
Finding comfort isn’t an easy feat on Stelvio, as it’s widely considered one of, if not the most, difficult downhill courses in Olympic Alpine skiing history.
Marco Odermatt (SUI), an Olympic gold medalist who’s been on an historic run since the last Winter Games, winning four consecutive Crystal Globes — the distinction awarded to best skier of a World Cup season — has said The Stelvio “is a fight for survival.”
The course is 8,399 feet long, over a mile and a half, and has a 2,493-foot vertical drop. Typically it’s icy, however, the weather on the piste (mountain) was warmer than expected on Wednesday, resulting in softer snow. Softer snow tends to slow racers down, but many of the athletes reached speeds upwards of 80 miles per hour.
The milder climate wasn’t the only notable weather in play. Race officials moved through the runs quicker than usual due to snow and rain in the forecast. The top of the mountain appeared to get foggier as the Bormio afternoon wore on, impacting visibility.
Five Italians finished in the top 15, perhaps a sign of home snow advantage, led by Giovanni Franzoni (+0.16) and Dominik Paris (+0.94), who claimed 2nd and 5th respectively.
Franzoni has been one of the great stories of the World Cup season, snagging the first two Cup events of his career, including the legendary "Streif" in Kitzbuhel. The 24-year-old's success came on the heels of losing close friend and fellow skier Matteo Franzoso (ITA) to a fatal training crash in September.
Paris has won six World Cup downhills in Bormio, which is twice as many as any other skier at the venue. The 36-year-old skier currently ranks 3rd in Cup points in the discipline and figures to be a strong medal contender in Saturday's downhill.
Meanwhile Odermatt, the downhill favorite, scored the third fastest time (+0.40), breezing through the initial four sectors and then taking his foot off the gas pedal for the final two.
Americans Kyle Negomir (16th), Bryce Bennett (25th), Sam Morse (31st) and River Radamus (36th) also participated. For Negomir and Morse, the 2026 Winter Games are the first of their careers.
Fredrik Moeller (AUT) took a nasty tumble between the second and third sectors, forcing a race interruption. It appeared that he hurt his shoulder and was ultimately airlifted off of the piste. There's no word yet on his status moving forward.
The men are scheduled for another downhill training on Thursday. The action kicks off at 5:30 a.m. ET and steams live on Peacock and NBCOlympics.com. The women will also compete in their first downhill training Thursday. Same start time as the men, also streaming on Peacock and NBCOlympics.com. It is still to be determined if Lindsey Vonn (USA) will run.