John Franzoni, moved dedication after a dream podium finish

The Super-G in Val Gardena held on Friday on the Saslong slope gave Giovanni Franzoni his first great satisfaction in the Alpine Ski World Cup. Never before, in fact, the Italian athlete had managed to get on the podium: today he succeeded instead by finishing in third position in the race won by Czech Jan Zabrystan, with a time of 1’24″86, ahead of the Swiss champion Marco Odermatt, who instead finished his race in 1’25″08. Franzoni finished his event in 1’25″23, ahead of Frenchman Nils Allegre by 13 hundredths and thus managing to enter the top three places in the CdM for the first time in his career.

“It feels like a dream. I still don’t know whether to believe it – Giovanni Franzoni, born 24 years ago in Manerba del Garda, told the official Fisi channels on the sidelines of the race. “To do such a race here is authentic madness. I thought I was lucky yesterday (the Italian skier had finished ninth in the downhill, ed). Today I had a great confirmation: I am improving even on the easy, the awareness is growing and I am freer in my head. I told myself: ‘Either you start to ski hard, or in front you won&#8217t get there. I didn&#8217t expect to get this far ahead, but it&#8217s great confirmation that I can have my say even on these slopes”.

The Yellow Flames athlete then wanted to dedicate this result to Matteo Franzoso, the Italian skier part of the national team who died from the consequences of a tragic accident in training, in Chile, last September 15: “I feel that yesterday and today someone from up there has been watching me – the words of the third-place finisher in the super-giant in Val Gardena -. This dedication can only be for Matteo Franzoso: we have been through tough times, but work pays off. Since he left, I know he will do all the races together with me, and I wanted to dedicate a podium to him, because he just deserved something really great”.

At the end of the race, Giovanni Franzoni also received compliments from one of the symbols of Italian skiing, Alberto Tomba: I have always been an insecure guy, to receive compliments from Alberto today is a crazy thing. My last three years have been complicated, also because of injury, and I had to believe. And I say the same to everyone else: believe in it, believe”.

“I can only thank all the staff and my teammates, my skiman who has been following me for seven years, my trainer, my family: it is a miracle” then concluded Franzoni, one of the three Italians to finish in today&#8221s Top 15 along with the’eternal Christof Innerhofer, who finished sixth, and Mattia Casse, eleventh and out of the top ten by only six hundredths.