Giovanni Franzoni was overcome by his emotions several times. © Screenshot

Touching scene: Italy's Val Gardena hero bursts into tears

It was a memorable Super-G that took place in Val Gardena on Friday. In the end, many tears were shed for an emotional reason.

19 December 2025

From St. Christina

He has long been considered a huge skiing talent in Italy. But in the big leagues, meaning the World Cup, Giovanni Franzoni has so far been denied that major breakthrough. Until Friday, until the Super-G in Val Gardena. The 24-year-old from Manerba del Garda on the southwest shore of Lake Garda is on the Saslong raced to third place with an exhilarating run.

This was the first World Cup podium finish in the career of the three-time Junior World Champion. And a success that couldn't have been more emotional. Three months earlier, Italy's speed team had been struck by tragedy when young Matteo Franzoso suffered a fatal injury during training in Chile. For Franzoni, Franzoso was much more than a teammate. "He was like a brother to me," said the Italian after his third-place finish in Val Gardena.

Franzoni dedicated the victory to his deceased teammate. © Pentaphoto

At that point, Franzoni was already in tears. When he crossed the finish line after his brilliant run and realized what he had achieved, he repeatedly made a touching gesture towards the sky, with the message: "This is for you, Matteo." In the mixed zone, the speed specialist experienced a rollercoaster of emotions: On the one hand, he was beaming from ear to ear, on the other hand, he broke down in tears several times.

"I drive every race for Matteo." John Franzoni

“Someone was watching us from up there today,” Franzoni said, his voice breaking. “Someone rode with me today. It was for Matteo. I shared a room with him for years. When he died in the summer, I said, ‘I’ll race every race for him for the rest of my life.’ It’s been such a tough time for us as a team.”

Val Gardena as a special place

The fact that super talent Franzoni was able to celebrate his first podium finish in Val Gardena of all places made him overjoyed. "If I could have chosen a place for this event, it would have been here. It's simply crazy what happened," said the young Italian, who has already provided the most emotional moment of this Val Gardena weekend.