Dominik Paris beams after his victory. In the foreground is his injured teammate Florian Schieder. © det

Before the eyes of a noble fan: Paris triumphs in the Sarntal

Dominik Paris has added another chapter to his outstanding season: He was crowned Italian champion in the downhill on Good Friday. A special fan also attended the event in Sarntal.

March 29, 2024

From Reinswald

Dominik Paris was the big favorite to win the Italian downhill championship title – and he did full justice to his role. On the very short route (only 56 seconds in total) and in cloudy weather, the Ultner in the Reinswald ski area was impossible to bend. The closest Paris came, who drives for the Carabinieri sports group, were Nicoló Molteni (+0,23 seconds) and Guglielmo Bosca (+0,44). Paris underlined his outstanding form: This season, the 34-year-old won in Val Gardena and finished the downhill World Cup in third place.

The athlete who could have been the most dangerous to the Ultner powerhouse, at least on paper, was not at the start on Friday. Florian Schieder is still suffering from a knee injury that forced him to have an operation.

Schieder as a noble fan

Nevertheless, the Castelrotto resident arrived at the finish area at 8.30 a.m. sharp - i.e. at the start of the race - and, leaning on crutches, watched the descent as a fan. Schieder finished second in Kitzbühel this year and was the best Azzurro in the downhill rankings behind Paris, but he had to cut short his season at the end of February due to meniscus and cartilage damage in his right knee.

Dominik Paris was the target of some selfie hunters.

Schieder was also one of those who congratulated Paris at the finish. The newly crowned Italian champion said the following about his third downhill “Scudetto”: “Today’s race here in Reinswald went quite well. The conditions were difficult, but the organizers left no stone unturned. Overall, the conditions were relatively fair. The season itself was great, I achieved some great results and also won this title. If you were the strongest athlete in the national team, then you want to give it another go at the end of the season.”

A young Pusterer points out

Meanwhile, 19-year-old Emanuel Lamp from ASC Gsiesertal gave a talent test. He is still part of the South Tyrolean state squad and finished ninth in the top 10, two positions behind a prominent name: Christof Innerhofer from Gais finished the race in seventh place.

The Italian championships in the speed disciplines in Sarntal end on Saturday with the Super-G. Next week, however, the national champions in the technical disciplines will be crowned in the Alpin Arena Schnals.

Results Downhill Italian Championships Reinswald/Sarntal:

1. Dominik Paris 56,43 seconds
2. Nicolò Molteni 56,66
3. Guglielmo Bosca 56,87
4. Mattia Casse 56,95
5. Emanuele Buzzi 56,99
6. Pietro Zazzi 57,04
7. Christof Innerhofer 57,09
8. Filippo Sambugaro 57,33
9. Emanuel Lamp 57,41
10. Gabriel Masneri 57,48