Giovanni Franzoni finishes on the podium for the first time in his career at the Super-G in Val Gardena/Gröden. In the interview after the race, the young Italian is overcome with emotion in memory of his deceased teammate Matteo Franzoso.
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- Giovanni Franzoni finishes third in Val Gardena/Gröden and celebrates the first podium finish of his career.
- In an interview with the FIS after the race, the young Italian talks about his teammate Matteo Franzoso, who died in an accident.
- He dedicates the podium to his former roommate and explains how hard the loss has hit the Italian team.
Only 37 hundredths behind winner Jan Zabystran and just 15 hundredths behind ski dominator Marco Odermatt, Giovanni Franzoni achieves the best result of his young career in the super-G in Val Gardena/Gröden.
However, the 24-year-old Italian experienced the greatest moment of his career without his deceased teammate and good friend Matteo Franzoso. In an interview with the FIS after the race, the third-placed racer gave free rein to his emotions.
"If he were here, I would tell him that he was a fantastic person. Always with a smile on his face. And I would tell him that I am proud to be his friend. And that he's like my big brother," says Franzoni, fighting back tears. "I will ski for him all my life."
Franzoso was killed in an accident during a training run in Chile in September. This had a huge impact on the Italian team, says Franzoni: "We had a lot of trouble this summer because we lost him."
Franzoni dedicates the podium finish in Val Gardena/Gröden to his former teammate. "This is for him. He was always my roommate during the season. I'm really, really happy about this result. I think he would be proud of me."
