Franjo von Allmen confirms his excellent form with victory in the downhill in Crans-Montana. A few days before the Olympic downhill in Bormio, he speaks of an "optimal" starting position.
02.02.2026, 06:00
02.02.2026, 07:06
SDA
After his victory in Val Gardena/Gröden at the end of December, Franjo von Allmen went one better in Valais - on a course that he particularly likes. "It's actually a slope that I really like. I like to 'wind my way through' to pick up and maintain speed," explained von Allmen a few minutes before the award ceremony.
However, it was more difficult for him to explain how he was able to pull out such a big lead. He relegated his first pursuer Dominik Paris to second place by 65 hundredths. "I had a very good feeling. And in situations like this, my speed is either very slow or very fast. This time it was the second option - and I'm happy about that," he said with satisfaction.
The 2027 World Championships in the back of his mind
The result comes at the best time, just before the Olympic Games. "This is ideal preparation. Self-confidence grows automatically with a win. I'm looking forward to the upcoming races," added the 24-year-old with a broad smile.
However, he does not want to look too far into the future - not even with regard to the world championships, which will take place on the same track in a year's time. "I'm already happy when I know what I'm doing next week," said von Allmen, who then admitted with a grin: "Even if the focus is on the next race, the world championships are already haunting me somewhere in the back of my mind."
When asked about his season so far, Franjo von Allmen was not completely satisfied. "I've had a few crashes, but overall the positives clearly outweigh the negatives. Thanks to days like this, I take an incredible amount of energy with me," he said.
"He is unbeatable without mistakes"
Alexis Monney also praised his team-mate: "I think the skis help - you can see that they worked very well. But it's not just the material, he was also very strong himself. We know that he is one of the best in the world on tracks like this, where you have to maintain speed."
Marco Odermatt from Nidwalden, leader in the overall World Cup, also tipped his hat to him: "We know that Franjo is really unbeatable on this slope if he doesn't make a mistake."
Odermatt also confirmed that even his technical qualities did not give him a particular advantage in Crans-Montana. "It's a course where you can't afford to make any mistakes from top to bottom and have to keep your rhythm from the first to the last gate. Personally, there were only a few technical sections where I could have made the difference," explained the four-time overall World Cup winner.
