With seven victories on the Stelvio, Dominik Paris is the king of Bormio - and is likely to be the biggest rival for the Swiss medal hopes surrounding Marco Odermatt at the Olympic Games.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Dominik Paris is the favorite for the Olympic downhill in Bormio, as he has already celebrated seven victories there and knows the course like no other.
- This will be the 36-year-old South Tyrolean's fifth Olympic Games, but his first in his own country - a special moment that motivates him rather than putting him under pressure.
- Paris sees himself as an experienced team leader, wants to pass on his knowledge to the next generation and is leaving his sporting future open.
Marco Odermatt is the favorite in all the races in which he will be competing at the Olympic Games. The Swiss is not only leading the overall World Cup, but is also the discipline leader in giant slalom, super-G and downhill.
In the supreme discipline, the downhill, the biggest competition comes from his own camp. Franjo von Allmen has won three of the last 11 downhill races, finished on the podium in seven and has only finished worse than fourth once.
However, special attention will also be paid to the Italian Dominik Paris in the Olympic downhill. The 36-year-old South Tyrolean is not only back at the front in the downhill this season, he is also a specialist for the Olympic downhill, which takes place in Bormio. Paris has won 24 races in his career, seven of them in Bormio. No one knows the Stelvio as well as Paris.
Asked by blue News about his role as favorite, he says: "It's good to be considered the favorite, that means you can keep up with the front runners. That makes you happy, of course. It's not so much the pressure, but it pushes me and I really step on the gas when the time comes."
"I won't be around for long"
The Winter Games in Paris' home country of Italy will be his fifth. When asked what he has taken away from his experience, Paris jokes: "Age-related weaknesses." The Italian then explains that he naturally knows how to approach a major event, even if the situation is different with games on a slope that he is familiar with.
The last four Winter Games were held in Vancouver (2010), Sochi (2014), Pyeongchang (2018) and Beijing (2022). This will also be the first time the Olympics have been close to home for Paris, and then in his home country: "It will certainly be special, I can't really imagine it yet, but I think it's something special to be able to compete in such an important race at home."
When he thinks back to past Olympic moments, two in particular come to Paris' mind: The first Games in 2010, when he was able to gain his first experience at the age of 20, were very special as he was able to observe everything a little.
However, Paris doesn't have such fond memories of the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang: "I had the race under control, but threw everything away in one corner."
At the age of 36, Paris is one of the most experienced athletes and also has a special role in the Italian team: "I'm happy to give away some of my experience, because I won't be around that long, then the youngsters can attack." However, he won't tell blue News how much longer he wants to ride: "I don't know, we'll see how it goes."
