Swiss skier Franjo von Allmen wins first gold medal of Milano Cortina Games

The first gold medal of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games was awarded on Saturday at the men’s downhill race.

On a picture-perfect day in Bormio, Swiss racer Franjo von Allmen powered through the challenging course in 1 minute, 51.61 seconds.

His time was good enough to withstand the challenge of Italy’s Giovanni Franzoni, who finished 0.2 of a second behind von Allmen to take the silver medal. Franzoni’s teammate, Dominik Paris, had a fast run to take bronze and knock Marco Odermatt of Team Switzerland off the podium.

The highest-ranked American in the men’s downhill was Kyle Negomir, who finished 10th.

There will be other medals handed out Saturday as the women’s skiathlon is underway at the Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium in Lago, Italy.