Dominik Paris during the initial assessment in Bormio. © APA/afp / FABRICE COFFRINI

Dominik Paris: “It’s always nice to be here”

The world's best downhill skiers completed their first training run for the Olympic downhill in Bormio on Wednesday. Dominik Paris and his teammates were in good spirits afterwards.

February 04, 2026

From: dl

Paris knows the Stelvio like the back of his hand. The Ultner native has already won seven times in Bormio, six of those victories in the downhill. However, the races there usually take place at the end of December – not in February like this year's Olympic Games. Consequently, the snow conditions in his home turf are different this year.

To start with The slope was a bit uneven due to the fresh snow – and not as icy and hard as usual. However, this wasn't a problem for Paris, as he explained afterwards: "The slope isn't in perfect condition yet, but there's still some time until Saturday. The conditions will change. It's always nice to be here. I already feel ready."

The Stelvio slope in Bormio is the stage for the Olympic medal competition. © APA/afp / FABRICE COFFRINI

Giovanni Franzoni, who finished second in training, has significantly less experience on the Stelvio than Paris. However, the Kitzbühel winner is also a strong contender for the Olympic downhill: “I enjoyed this run. Today it was a bit unusual because it’s different than usual, but skiing in Italy is something special and I love this course. It’s perfect for training, but I hope it will be a bit icier for the race.”

Not yet an Olympic atmosphere

Bormio still presents itself as a sleepy little town these days. Here and there, final preparations were still underway. The special Olympic atmosphere was not yet present in front of the almost empty stands during training. "The atmosphere isn't 100 percent there yet, but it's coming, you can feel it," said Austrian Vincent Kriechmayr, who arrived on Tuesday.