John Franzoni, feat on the Streif and moving tearful dedication
New feat for Giovanni Franzoni who, after the triumphant weekend in Wengen with victory in Super G and podium in the downhill, enters by right in the legend of Italian alpine skiing by imposing himself in the Kitzbühel free race on the mythical Streif. The Brescian in one of the absolute temples of speed thus achieved the first career success in the specialty and the second overall in the World Cup. A result that brings Italy back to the top step of the podium in Kitzbühel seven years after’the last time, that is, after Dominik Paris’s 2019 success.
Even the big favorite Marco Odermatt had to bow out: the Swiss recovered in the final thanks to impressive speed, but had to surrender by only seven hundredths, once again postponing the appointment with the first career victory in the downhill on the Streif. And the Azzurri on the podium could even have been two: Frenchman Maxence Muzaton finished third at 39 hundredths, ahead of Florian Schieder, who thus had to settle for fourth place, just one hundredth ahead of another transalpine, Nils Allegre.
Giovanni Franzoni, before the race ended but when it already seemed everything was ready for the party, spoke to RAI microphones, even letting himself go to a moving dedication, in tears: “I hope to stay first, I’m shaking. At the start I had Matteo Franzoso in my head, because last year we were rooming together. It was my first time here and I was super charged. I knew it was not going to be easy, also because Odermatt has never won here and everyone was super motivated. In the first part I struggled a little bit, but underneath I skied really great”.
“Before the race I can turn. I am a quiet guy, that when something big is on the line I can really change my state of mind – he added later – I was convinced of my chances. I knew where I hadn’t done well in practice and when I saw the time at the finish I said ‘This is a good race’”.
“Too bad for Schieder who is not on the podium with me, but it is still a great team result. I still don’t realize it. Actually, a lot of people say I ski clean. It’s a technique I have been working on a lot: before I was so much on the edges, however, it seems that the gears are starting to turn, to work in the right way” he concluded, when there are less than two weeks to go until the start of the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics.
