Switzerland wins the first gold medal of the Milan Cortina Olympic Games in men’s downhill

Swiss world champion Franjo von Allmen took home the first gold medal of the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Games, beating Italian favorite and Bormio specialist Dominik Paris in the men’s downhill by fifty-hundredths of a second.

The 24-year-old skier, competing in his first Olympic Games, sat at the top of the podium for most of the final at the Stelvio ski center in Bormio on Saturday morning. He finished his race in 1:51.61, reaching top speeds of 83.77 mph in the final stretch of his race.

Franjo von Allmen speeds up the course during a men’s alpine skiing race at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Bormio, Italy. The race took place on Saturday, February 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

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The host country won two medals to complete the podium.

Italian skier Giovanni Franzoni, 24, won a silver medal in his first Winter Olympics, finishing two-tenths of a second behind von Allmen. Paris, a record winner of six World Cups in Bormio, earned a bronze medal in its fifth Olympic Games.

Switzerland’s Franjo von Allmen, gold medalist in men’s alpine downhill skiing, waves as he arrives at the medal ceremony, flanked by Italian silver medalist Giovanni Franzoni, left, and Italian bronze medalist Dominik Paris, at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Bormio, Italy. The medal ceremony took place on February 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

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The Americans fell short of the first gold medal in Milan Cortina.

Kyle Negomir finished in the top 10 in his first Olympic appearance, three-time Olympians Bryce Bennett and Ryan Cochran-Siegle finished 13th and 18th, respectively; and first-time Olympian Sam Morse finished 19th.

Kyle Negomir speeds up the course during the men’s alpine skiing race at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Bormio, Italy. The race took place on February 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

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Team USA will have another chance to win medals on Saturday in the women’s cross-country skiathlon, women’s 3,000-meter speedskating, women’s regular hill ski jumping and the men’s Snowboard Big Air final.

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