In a thrilling start to the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, Swiss skier Franjo von Allmen has secured the first gold medal in the men's downhill competition. Competing at the Stelvio Ski Center in Bormio, von Allmen, a 24-year-old first-time Olympian, completed the course in 1:51.61, achieving a top speed of 83.77 mph. He narrowly edged out Italian skier Dominik Paris, who was the favorite and a specialist in the Bormio course, by a margin of fifty-hundredths of a second.

The podium was completed by two other competitors from the host nation, Italy. Giovanni Franzoni, also competing in his first Olympics at the age of 24, won the silver medal, finishing just two-tenths of a second behind von Allmen. Dominik Paris, an experienced competitor with six World Cup wins in Bormio, took home the bronze medal in what marks his fifth Olympic appearance.

The event marks a promising start for the Olympics, although the U.S. team did not secure any medals in this inaugural competition. The focus now shifts to upcoming events, with anticipation building around the performances of both seasoned and newcomer athletes as the games progress in Milan Cortina.