Speedster suisse Alexis Monney launched a late accusation to claim his first FIS Alpine Ski World Cup victory in the downhill of Bormio in Italy, Saturday December 28.
Monney skied the bottom half superbly to overhaul his compatriot and early leader Franjo von Allmen par 0,24. Cameron Alexandre of Canada completed the podium in third place.
Italy Mattia Cassé finished fourth ahead of the reigning downhill and overall World Cup champion Marco Odermatt who could very well have won if he had not fallen late.
Von Allmen finished third on the difficult Stelvio slope and set a goal that seemed enough for his first World Cup victory. But he had to be content with his second podium while his teammate Monney, 24, wearing bib 19, achieved the best time in each of the last three sectors to achieve victory.
Odermatt was in the lead during the first intermediate times before hitting a squeeze halfway through the stroke and somehow avoiding hitting the bridge. The movement inflated his airbagwhich further complicates things, but the Swiss star still managed to place in the top five.
On the track which will be used for the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, there were no serious incidents after Friday’s training was marred by two heavy falls which saw two skiers airlifted to the hospital.
The French Ski Federation revealed earlier Saturday that Cyprien Sarrazinwho won the race last year, had undergone surgery to reduce pressure on a cerebral hemorrhage. Sarrazin was sent flying after hitting a bump just before a left turn.
Italian skier Pietro Zazzi was also taken by helicopter and fractures to his tibia and fibula were noted.
