In the shadow of Marco Odermatt and Franjo von Allmen, Alexis Monney has also blossomed into a winning skier in the downhill - in keeping with his character: without any loud noises.
03.12.2025, 05:00
03.12.2025, 07:04
SDA
Alexis Monney won two World Championship medals and five podium places in the World Cup in the winter of 2024/25 and celebrated his first World Cup victory in Bormio at the end of December. The 2020 Junior World Champion has not changed as a result of his successes. "I'm the same and I train the same," he says dryly as he looks ahead to the upcoming Olympic season and back on his breakthrough winter during a big media round in Dübendorf in the fall.
The 25-year-old from Fribourg is and remains something of an antithesis to his communicative and approachable teammates Odermatt and Von Allmen. As powerful as his appearance is, his words are gentle and reserved, even after his recent successes. The prospect of further World Cup victories and an Olympic medal does nothing to change that. "I feel good, the strength training has gone well," says Monney at a leisurely pace and in a low voice.
You can tell that he has trained well ahead of the first downhill this week in Beaver Creek. His 1.82 meter tall body is packed with muscle that is in no way inferior to the model athletes Aleksander Kilde, Marco Odermatt and Franjo von Allmen.
A desire for more
So are they ready to build on last season's strong performance, which really took off in Bormio and culminated in podium finishes in Kitzbühel (2nd place in the downhill), at the World Championships in Schladming (3rd in the downhill, 2nd in the team combined) and at the World Cup races in Crans-Montana (3rd in the downhill, 2nd in the super-G) from the end of January? It would be surprising if it didn't. "Last season and the World Championship medals have changed expectations a little," says Monney himself. Which means that he has briefly shed his reticence by his standards.
Monney emphasizes that he does not allow himself to be put under pressure. Which does not mean that he is not striving for further success. As calm as the family man from Châtel-Saint-Denis appears to the outside world, he pursues his goals with determination. However, there was one awkward moment on his way to the top: in 2019, he didn't get on with a coach at the National Performance Center in Brig. In an interview with "Schweizer Illustrierte", Monney admitted that he was fed up and didn't know what to do next. However, he persevered, changed coaches and became junior world champion a year later. Now, at the young age of 25 for a speed specialist, he is one of the best downhill skiers in the world.
Strong Swiss team
Monney is currently number 3 in the downhill. Only Odermatt and Von Allmen are ahead of him in the World Cup start list (WCSL), with Justin Murisier (6th), Stefan Rogentin (10th) and Niels Hintermann (12th), who is making his comeback in Beaver Creek after recovering from cancer, among the top 15.
This means that the Swiss team is the clear number 1 in the fastest discipline. Ten athletes are among the top 60, only eight are allowed to start via the quota places. It comes in handy that Livio Hiltbrand (22) and Alessio Miggiano (23) have secured a fixed starting place in the World Cup in the European Cup and are not a burden on the quota.
The first downhill is scheduled for Friday. Due to the unfavorable weather forecast, it could be brought forward to Thursday.
