Giovanni Franzoni set the fastest time in the downhill. © APA/afp / FABRICE COFFRINI

On course for a medal: Franzoni puts Vinatzer in position

The men's team combined event will premiere at the Bormio Olympics on Monday. Giovanni Franzoni set the fastest time in the downhill leg. Now it's up to his partner, Alex Vinatzer.

February 09, 2026

From: dl

Franzoni is simply in superb form. The silver medalist was the fastest on the Stelvio on Monday. After the downhill, Italy 1 (Franzoni/Vinatzer) is in the lead. Franzoni prevailed over a trio from Switzerland. Dominik Paris, however, is in fifth place with Italy 2.

Only 21 teams from nine nations competed in the Olympic debut of the team combined event. Just two days after the downhill race, the Stelvio course was once again in perfect condition under ideal weather conditions. Franzoni was 17 hundredths of a second faster than Switzerland's Alexis Monney, whose run Daniel Yule will have to complete this afternoon.

High tension in the slalom

Marco Odermatt and Loic Meillard also have a good chance of winning gold and are certainly among the top favorites in the team combined. Odermatt was 28 hundredths of a second behind Franzoni. Alex Vinatzer will have to compete in the slalom (starting at 14 p.m. in the SportNews(Ticker) will certainly need to step on the gas. Franjo von Allmen and Tanguy Nef are currently in fourth place. The Olympic downhill champion lost 42 hundredths of a second to Franzoni.

Dominik Paris and Tommaso Sala are in fifth place. © APA/afp / FABRICE COFFRINI

Dominik Paris was just under six-tenths of a second behind Franzoni. This leaves him and his partner, Tommaso Sala, with an outside chance of a medal. They also face a threat from the sixth-placed French pair, Nils Allegre and Clement Noel. The slalom course in Bormio is not considered particularly steep. Anything is still possible, and much will depend on the composure of the slalom skiers. Atle Lie McGrath (Norway), Eduard Hallberg (Finland), and Linus Straßer (Germany), whose partners finished outside the top ten, also still have a slim chance of a medal.

Schieder falls

The second South Tyrolean, Florian Schieder, starting with bib number 8, crashed in the upper section of the course and lost a ski. According to initial reports, the skier from Kastelruth was not injured (he skied to the finish line on his own); only his suit was damaged. This means his team's combined partner, Tobias Kastlunger, will no longer be able to start the slalom. The South Tyrolean duo has been eliminated.

Men's Team Combined: Standings after the start