Dominik Paris enchants in Val Gardena: third downhill on Saslong

An eternal Dominik Paris is back on the podium in Val Gardena: the Italian champion is third in the first downhill on the Saslong, on a shortened course, a recovery of the race not held in Beaver Creek, behind Marco Odermatt and Franjo Von Allmen. The Val d’Ultimo champion set the best mark in the first and last intermediate, giving in by only 19 hundredths of a second to the 1’24”48 that earned Odermatt his 50th career victory. Instead, his total haul of podiums on the top circuit rises to 51, his 33rd on the downhill. This is the fourth time for Paris on the podium in Val Gardena: in 2014 he was third in the downhill and second the next day in the super-G, while in 2023 he was able to impose himself precisely in the downhill.

Marco Enzo Venturini

In a race that was postponed several times due to low clouds stopping over the course, Paris was able to write another page of his own legend, with only a 4-cent gap over Von Allmen, second at 0”15 from his compatriot. If the 1989 Merano-born champion flies on the podium, the other Azzurri do not disfigure. In fact, several among them appear in the upper parts of the rankings: Florian Schieder on the rise is sixth at 0”57, a solid Mattia Casse is seventh at 0”67, Giovanni Franzoni ninth at 0”74, Christof Innerhofer is 12th at 0”91 with Benjamin Alliod 14th at 0”94 to seize the best result of his career.

On the eve of the race, Paris had expressed all his optimism toward the Saslong downhill that he already won in 2023. “The test went quite well – he had said on Wednesday -, tomorrow in the race the slope will be shorter and with rain there might be some changes. I hope to find similar conditions among us in the top group-I am quite positive, if I get everything right I can be fast. Who do I see well? Ah, definitely Paris! Jokes aside, obviously the Swiss, Austrians, Americans, Norwegians: everything is possible on the Saslong. Hopefully Italy will also be there and present”.

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Numbers that sketch a majestic team performance: the Dolomite World Cup stage thus opens with excellent results for team Italy, which can look forward with great and justified confidence to the super-G scheduled for Friday, December 19, and to the downhill – on the Saslong full course on Saturday. Fall shortly after a minute of the race for Nicolò Molteni, apparently without consequences; Guglielmo Bosca did not start.

The new season success allows Odermatt to stretch even further at the top of the overall: 605 points allow him to double Kristoffersen, second at 302, with Haugan third at 281; Paris is the best Italian in twelfth position with 174 points; Odermatt leads the downhill ranking with full points, ahead of Von Allmen (130) and Paris (100).