The first medals of the 2026 Winter Games have been awarded. Swiss Alpine skier Franjo von Allmen threw down the run of his 24-year-old life, claiming gold in the men's Olympic downhill in Bormio. He clocked in at 1:51.61.
"I'm super happy, it feels like kind of a movie," he told NBC's Heather Cox post-race. "I really tried to enjoy the skiing and not over-push. Just show what I can do."
As usual, the Stelvio slope proved to be a difficult one to navigate for the athletes — bumpy, slick, spotty lighting — yet von Allmen handled it all beautifully. He carved around tricky turns with poise and landed the fabled San Pietro jump smoothly.
At 17 years old, von Allmen nearly quit Alpine skiing. His father died suddenly and the Boltigen, Switzerland, native lacked the financial means to continue competing in the sport. He turned to crowd-funding, launching a campaign to support his dreams.
Six years later, he made his debut on the World Cup circuit (the highest level of professional Alpine skiing) in Aspen, Colorado, in 2023 and shortly after, picked up his first podium in a super-G in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.
Known for his fearless style on the course, a Swiss teammate once described him as a “crazy” skier for his risk-taking. It helped propel von Allmen to a stunning gold medal victory at the 2025 World Championships, knocking off the event’s favorite and best skier of this generation, Marco Odermatt (SUI).
Saturday’s Olympic downhill felt like déjà vu with "Odi" coming in as the man to beat and von Allmen defeating him. He became the fifth Swiss man ever to earn downhill gold at a Winter Games.
The Italians wouldn't be denied, delivering (and then some) on home snow, as Giovanni Franzoni snagged silver (+0.20) and Dominik Paris (+0.50) — the "King of Bormio" — procured bronze.
Franzoni, who hails from the Lombardy region in Italy (where Bormio is located), has been the breakout star of the 2025-26 World Cup season. He won his first two career races, which included conquering "The Streif" in Kitzbuhel, the most prestigious course on the tour, and dedicated his performances to friend Matteo Franzoso (ITA), who died tragically in a fatal skiing accident in September.
Meanwhile, Paris did what he was seemingly born to do in Bormio: reach the podium. The 36-year-old owns the most victories at the venue (seven), over twice as many as the next closest skier.
Reigning Crystal Globe winner (the highest distinction awarded to the year's best skier) Odermatt narrowly missed the podium, placing fourth (+0.70). He sat in the leader's chair momentarily but was upended by von Allmen, the next racer. At one point, the Swiss triumvirate of von Allmen, Odermatt and Alexis Monney (SUI) held the top three spots, but Franzoni and Paris spoiled a potential podium sweep.
Odi remains the gold medal favorite in both the super-G and giant slalom.
The biggest surprise of the day, Kyle Negomir, an Olympic first-timer from Littleton, Colorado, finished at the top of the American table, leap-frogging from bib No. 27 to snatch 10th.
"It was a blast," Negomir shared. "I think that was the most fun any of us will have skiing Bormio, and to have such a big audience to show what we've spent the last 25 years perfecting is super special."
An emotional Bryce Bennett (USA) came in 13th in his final Winter Olympics. The 33-year-old was trying to hold back tears as he spoke post-race about how meaningful it was for his wife Kelley and baby daughter Kate to be in Bormio watching.
The 2022 Olympic silver medalist, Ryan Cochran-Siegle (USA), never quite found his groove, finishing 18th, nearly two seconds off of Von Allmen's winning mark.
"I probably didn't bring enough intensity, enough power, as is required," RCS said. He is slated to start in the super-G on Wednesday, Feb. 11.
The high-speed action continues tomorrow as Lindsey Vonn (USA), Breezy Johnson (USA) and more go for gold in the women's downhill event, which streams live at 5:30 a.m. ET on Peacock and NBCOlympics.com.