A breath of fresh air and old accessories in the ski circus: Wengen winner Giovanni Franzoni relies on a nose plaster - a relic from football in the 90s. He himself laughingly calls it the secret of his success.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Giovanni Franzoni surprisingly wins the super-G in Wengen and causes a stir with a nose plaster.
- The nose plaster, once popular in the 90s, is supposed to help him with breathing problems - and could be a lucky charm, according to Franzoni.
- Team-mate Dominik Paris joked about wearing the plaster too, but then decided against it.
The nose plaster experienced a real hype in the 1990s - especially in professional football. At the time, it was considered performance-enhancing because it was said to improve oxygen supply.
When scientists later exposed this effect as a myth, the patch largely disappeared from the scene. Recently, however, it has made a surprising comeback, including in the Champions League.
A new lucky charm
Now the nose plaster is also prominent in skiing: Thanks to the surprising Wengen winner Giovanni Franzoni. The Italian starts the Super-G with the number 1, has a strong race and takes his place in the leader's box.
Because no one else is faster, the 24-year-old stays there. The TV camera catches Franzoni just as often. And something immediately catches the eye: The winner is wearing a nose patch. Is Franzoni taking his cue from the footballers of old - or is there more to it than that? blue News asks in the finish area. Franzoni explains: "I sometimes struggle to breathe through my nose, that's why I used it."
Because he was already the fastest in the first training session with his nose plaster, he joked with teammate Dominik Paris: "He said that if I was also the fastest in the second training session, he would also use a nose plaster - but he didn't," Franzoni explains with a laugh.
Perhaps Paris will rely on the lucky charm for tomorrow's downhill after all, as he was eliminated in the super-G, while nose plaster Franzoni raced to victory. The debutant World Cup winner explains: "It's crazy, maybe that's my secret to being fast. I hope it continues to bring me luck."
