Alexis Monney has already experienced a lot in Wengen in a short space of time, but it has never been enough for him to achieve a top place. Now the 26-year-old is hoping that everything will work out on the Lauberhorn.
16.01.2026, 05:00
16.01.2026, 06:46
SDA
At the media meeting on Wednesday evening, a grin flits across Monney's face when he is asked about his relationship with Wengen. "I really like Wengen," says the man from Fribourg, "but sometimes I have the feeling that the slopes here don't like me that much."
A look back shows what he means. Last year, Monney briefly lost control of a ski in the downhill in the final S and skied into the last gate. While his teammates Marco Odermatt and Franjo von Allmen took first and second place, Monney took a bitter zero.
But there is also the other side: Monney also achieved his very first top 10 place in the World Cup three years ago in Wengen - with bib number 37. On this run too, however, the most memorable thing was how he only just managed to avoid a fall after the jump at Hundschopf. "Try to get to the bottom alive," he thought to himself at the time.
Better handling of pressure
Now Monney is making his next attempt to finish in the top 8 for the first time in Wengen. He can be cautiously confident, as the button opened up recently in Livigno. There he finished second in the super-G and stood on the podium for the first time this season. Prior to that, he struggled with the jumps in the races in Val Gardena/Gröden, which led to his elimination in the second downhill.
The podium in Livigno has taken some of the weight off his shoulders, says Monney. "Now I can approach the start a little more relaxed." Dealing with the increased pressure was a big issue for him for a long time, especially at home races. He is now less paralyzed by the expectations. He is not only more relaxed about the hustle and bustle in Wengen this year, but is even looking forward to it.
The fact that after Livigno his ticket to the Olympics is hardly out of his reach is also a relief. As last year's downhill winner and super-G third on the Olympic course in Bormio, he had already provided good arguments for a nomination. Until Livigno, however, he had failed to live up to expectations.
Not a gliding specialist
"The previous downhill races were more for the good gliders, now races are coming up that suit me better," says Monney. After Wengen, Kitzbühel is the next classic on the program. Last year, the Frenchman was just eight hundredths short of his second World Cup victory on the Streif. The course suits him.
And in Wengen, Monney also knows what he needs to focus on before the two races on Friday (super-G) and Saturday (downhill): "I'm having a little trouble finding the right tricks and skiing fast, especially at the top." If he finds this solution, the complicated relationship between Monney and the Lauberhorn could ease after many ups and downs.
