Franjo von Allmen is a highly talented ski racer with a bright future. His career is well on track in many respects. Yet he once had to rely on the financial support of a crowdfunding campaign.
04.12.2024, 17:00
SDA
The mishap did not fit at all into the picture of the past twelve months, during which Franjo von Allmen has taken his next steps in the sporting arena in unexpected ways, while new horizons have opened up for the highly talented athlete outside of the racing scene.
The mishap, the accident, occurred at the beginning of September. Von Allmen suffered an injury to his right knee joint. Examinations revealed a bone bruise on the tibia and femur. It happened outside of preparations for the new season. "Private", as Von Allmen put it. He did not want to say any more. The result was a forced break of around six weeks, during which the 23-year-old from Simmental had to give up skiing.
Rest and patience
Von Allmen accepted the injury, he didn't complain, he did what suits his nature. He remained calm and patient. The only thing he regretted was missing the training camp in Portillo, Chile. "Otherwise it wasn't that dramatic," he said in Copper Mountain, Colorado. "And I knew that the 'good' training sessions would still come." There was no point in worrying about something that he could not influence himself. He was allowed back on the snow in mid-October.
At the American Ski Association's alpine training base in Copper Mountain, the Swiss prepared for the first World Cup races of the winter in the speed disciplines in Beaver Creek, as did the racers from almost every other nation. The prestigious resort in the Rocky Mountains is around 50 kilometers from Copper Mountain.
These days, the mishap already seems a long way away. Von Allmen has long been pain-free again, and the incident has not left any mental traces either. He can tackle his next goals without any side effects - and continue to do so "step by step", as he says. It sounds like a cliché, but Von Allmen sounds credible. He is not blinded by his performances last winter, his first as a World Cup skier, in which he gave the impression that his advance towards the top could not go fast enough.
The individual positions in Von Allmen's record give an idea that he is on his way to becoming a great in ski racing. He finished his first super-G at World Cup level in 9th place in Val Gardena/Gröden in mid-December, and in his ninth start in a downhill at this level two months later he finished 5th in Kvitfjell in Norway. Three weeks earlier he had made his strongest impression to date. In the second super-G in Garmisch, he finally drew attention to himself thanks to 3rd place.
The euphoria surrounding the upstart from Boltigen has understandably grown many times over since then. The much-praised skier knows how to classify his new status. He knows that he still has a rocky road ahead of him. He knows how to handle words of praise - even when they come from Marco Odermatt. The results last winter were all well and good, "but nothing more. That doesn't mean that things will continue like this. You shouldn't forget that this is only my second season in the World Cup." Many things are still new to him and he still has to get to know unfamiliar routes. He can now do this with the help of a well-known service man. Those responsible at his outfitter Head have put South Tyrolean Sepp Kuppelwieser, Beat Feuz's former companion, at his side.
Red Bull and Breitling
Von Allmen's career off the slopes has also been "neatly managed", as he calls it - not only thanks to his relationships with local companies, his long-standing main partner from the canton of Bern, who will continue to support him in the coming years, and the Boltigen-Jaunpass region, which he continues to represent. He is now one of the top athletes who can count on the support of the Red Bull drinks group. In alpine ski racing, he is the second Swiss athlete after Odermatt to benefit from a partnership that goes far beyond the financial.
At Red Bull, they have always offered athletes individual all-round support, including performance diagnostics and nutritional advice. "Nothing is missing." The center in Thalgau, around 20 kilometers east of Salzburg, is impressive. Von Allmen has already paid his first visit to his new main sponsor.
Of course, the Red Bulls would have offered him a hand during his convalescence. However, Von Allmen preferred to rebuild at home with his trusted physiotherapist and in a "very good fitness center nearby".
Von Allmen also calls the collaboration agreed with watch manufacturer Breitling in the summer "special". Since signing the contract, he has been working as a brand ambassador for the major corporation, just like Manchester City's Norwegian star striker Erling Haaland - and can already announce his first official act. Together with the Swiss Sports Aid Foundation, the technicians at Breitling have created a chronograph, part of the proceeds from the sale of which will go towards the institution's youth development program. "It's nice to be able to give something back in this way."
Von Allmen knows what he is talking about when it comes to financial matters. He also went through a phase when money was tight - and even his career was on the line as a result - but skiing took a back seat for sad reasons when he and his loved ones had to cope with the death of his father. Thanks to crowdfunding, in which money is raised from various sources, Von Allmen was able to continue his career as a ski racer.
Red Bull, Breitling, Kuppelwieser, crowdfunding - the support for Von Allmen is wide-ranging, and not only that. The names are a vote of confidence in a young ski racer whose qualities they are all convinced of. The horizons that have been opened up are an unmistakable sign of this.
