Alexis Monney looks back on her weekend in Bormio

The Friborg skier had a great weekend in Bormio, confirming the hopes that many had in him. Result: a victory, a podium and… painkillers.

He told us that in 2019, he wanted to draw water, put the skis in the closet. But the solid downhiller from Châtel-Saint-Denis (FR) progressed without skipping a beat until this divine December 28, the date of his first victory at the highest level of alpine skiing.

A fine skier, like a cat on the Italian ice rink which caused so much damage in the ranks of the world’s best downhillers, Alexis Monney did not flinch and mastered his subject from start to finish to beat Franjo von Allmen to the post, with his bib 19. Impressive on the lower parts, he finished in a rocket to end his dream Italian weekend.

Walter Reusser, the CEO of Swiss-ski, predicted that Monney would soon reach the summits and “it was only a matter of time”. “It looks like he was right on target,” laughs the winner of the Bormio downhill.

At the end of the 2023/2024 season, the 24-year-old skier said he was not too concerned about the predictions about him.

Author of a timid start to the season, with a good 13th place at Beaver Creek in the downhill and a 17th in the super-G, before finishing in 21st place in the super-G in Val Gardena and even finishing outside the points in the downhill on the Saslong, Alexis Monney swallowed his Ovomaltine to shine on one of the most formidable tracks on the circuit.

Is it a new pair of skis, a new secret boot to play the leading roles? “Material level, for Bormio, I didn’t try anything new. I tend to ski new things on the snow of Val Gardena and Beaver Creek, for example,” says Alexis Monney.

Now in «the zone»?

The young downhiller from the canton of Fribourg, pumped up since his dream weekend, seems to be “in the zone”, as tennis players like to say. “I can’t really explain it, is it “the zone” or just good skiing, the future will tell us,” he replies, ensuring that he has found a good balance between the intentions and the mind.

Alexis Monney heads towards a new podium during the super-G.Keystone

Very happy with his technical level, the Bormio weekend could have turned sour for Alexis Monney. Slightly hit in the heel during the first training, following a flight on the San Pietro jump (more than 50 meters of flight), it was his heel that was bothering him.

He explains:

Monney assures that he did not feel the slightest restraint on race day. “No, before the jump, I had no apprehension, only just before landing I just wondered if it was going to “hold”. Fortunately, because at the reception, my heel clicked again.”

This, on a track which gave no respite to the athletes, to skiers who shouted their anger in the face of the organizers and in the press. Marco Odermatt even said that this year, “the Stelvio is more dangerous than in previous years”.

“Less tiring” This year

Monney agrees that it is difficult for him to have “a correct opinion” in his position. He claims not to have paid too much attention to the discussions surrounding the state of the track. According to him, this year the event was “less physically tiring” because the surface was less icy in places. But the big challenge was frequent snow changes during the round. “I think that’s what posed the problem,” slips the Fribourgeois.

And to continue:

And now, after such exploits, a first World Cup title, has Alexis Monney’s status changed in the industry? “I received a lot of congratulations during the recognition (red: super-G). It wasn’t easy but I stayed focused on myself. I didn’t pay attention to how others looked at me.”

Now world number 4 in downhill and number 6 in super-G, with a ticket for the Saalbach Worlds (February 4 to 16) in his pocket, the objectives are not being revised upwards, he declares. “No, nothing has changed, I still want to have fun on the slopes, have fun and ski well. This is how it works best for me and I’m not going to change now.”

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