Giovanni Franzoni once again demonstrated his talent. © APA/afp / OLIVIER CHASSINOLE

Giovanni Franzoni celebrates in Courchevel

Giovanni Franzoni once again showcased his talent at the World Cup downhill in Courchevel, France. The young Italian narrowly missed out on another victory.

March 13, 2026

From: dl

Giovanni Franzoni's season is truly a fairytale. Before this winter, the 24-year-old from Manerba on Lake Garda had never stood on a World Cup podium. On Friday, in perfect conditions at the venue for the 2025 World Championships and the 2030 Olympics, Franzoni secured his fifth podium finish overall. He also won a silver medal in the downhill at the Bormio Olympics.

The rising star of this season missed his third World Cup victory by just nine hundredths of a second, finishing second. The win on the challenging downhill course went to the experienced Austrian Vincent Kriechmayr. The 34-year-old secured his first victory of 2026, a year that had not been ideal for Kriechmayr up to that point. Marco Odermatt completed the podium, winning his third consecutive downhill World Cup title.

Vincent Kriechmayr snatched victory from Franzoni. © APA/afp / OLIVIER CHASSINOLE

Florian Schieder from Kastelruth was eliminated after a mistake in the middle section, mistiming his turn and missing the next gate. The same fate befell Swiss Olympic hero Franjo Von Allmen. Dominik Paris from Ultental, on the other hand, had a flawed run and finished in 15th place, while Christof Innerhofer from Gais came in 19th.

Two Super-G races (11:00/10:45) are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday of the speed weekend in the French Alps. Afterwards, the World Cup Finals will take place in Lillehammer, Norway.