Franjo Von Allmen / GEPA pictures
Von Allmen edges Odermatt on Saslong as Italy earns another home podium
Franjo von Allmen pushed the limits from the top start and held on to win Saturday’s Saslong Classic downhill in Val Gardena / Gröden, edging teammate Marco Odermatt by 0.30 seconds as Switzerland again swept the top two places.
Von Allmen skied on the edge and direct, surviving a heavy landing and the demanding Ciaslat, his time holding steady as light improved late.
Von Allmen: “Sometimes it’s me, sometimes it’s him”
“They are a pretty cool crowd. There was really some energy in the finish area,” von Allmen said. “It’s really cool, especially when they make a lot of noise for the other teammates, not just for me.”
Sharing another podium with Odermatt carried extra meaning. “It’s really cool — I didn’t expect it at all,” he said. “It’s really cool to share the podium with Marco, and to change sometimes. Sometimes it’s me, sometimes it’s him.”
Odermatt: pushing each other forward
Odermatt, who had won the opening two downhills of the season, produced an aggressive but controlled run from bib 6 and briefly looked on pace for another victory.
“The last two downhills I could win, and he was second,” Odermatt said. “I think it was fair that he could win today and I could be second.”
He added that their rivalry continues to raise the level. “At the moment he is, with me, probably the fastest downhiller in the world, and we push each other. We know if someone has the perfect run, it is very hard to beat, and that pushes the whole sport.”
On conditions, Odermatt said, “The light was better than yesterday, and we know exactly the line.” While he noted the end of the Ciaslat was not perfect, he added, “Everything else I am very happy with.”
Schieder fuels Italy’s home momentum
Italy again celebrated on home snow as Florian Schieder finished third, extending the host nation’s Val Gardena podium streak to three days in a row.
“It was another solid run today,” Schieder said. “It was a little bit faster than Thursday, the slope was good, and at the Ciaslat the lines were good. I didn’t expect it, but I’m really happy now.”
With multiple Italian teammates delivering strong results, Schieder pointed to the bigger picture. “It’s another great result for the team,” he said. “We can go to the Olympics, and the Italian fans can hope.”
Swiss depth on full display
Switzerland’s dominance went far beyond the podium. The Swiss placed four skiers inside the top 10 and put five athletes into the points, underlining their depth on one of the World Cup’s most challenging downhill tracks. With speed at the front and resilience deep in the order, Switzerland again set the standard on the Saslong as the season shifts toward Wengen.
Risk, recovery, and control
Von Allmen’s run was not without moments of tension. The Swiss racer admitted he flirted with trouble over the jumps after losing balance mid-run.
“A little bit, yeah,” he said when asked if he was afraid. “I was prepared for the first jump, where I crashed yesterday. But on the second one, maybe I should have paid attention there as well.”
Still, he stayed aggressive and composed, carrying speed when it mattered most and refusing to give time back late.
Ciaslat decides again from the top start
Once again, the Ciaslat proved decisive from the full-length start. Skiers reached the section with roughly 30 seconds more fatigue than earlier in the week, and the sequence of rolls punished even slight timing errors.
As sunlight crept into the lower course, visibility improved. However, only a handful of racers could truly take advantage, as time lost across the other five sectors remained difficult to recover.
North Americans in the points
Only four North American skiers finished inside the top 30 and scored points.
48 — Kyle Negomir (USA) — 16th — +1.85 seconds, led the group with another confident run on the Saslong. “This weekend was really validating for me,” Negomir said. “I’ve had a couple long seasons where I was quite slow in downhill, so to ski like this shows that I belong with these guys and can ski at the level I want to be at.” He added that the pressure still sits with him before every race, “but it also gives me motivation to push and take risks,” and credited Val Gardena for helping him rebuild confidence.
53 — Sam Morse (USA) — 24th — +2.10, backed up his strong history at Val Gardena with another points finish. “It was a pretty scrappy run,” Morse said. “I’ve been messing with the setup a bit, and this course really rewards skiers who stay in the fall line, especially after the Camel Humps.” He added that section is “right in your face,” but said, “if you can squeak through it, you can be quick,” calling it rewarding to be back inside the top 30.
1 — Bryce Bennett (USA) — 26th — +2.16, scored after setting the early benchmark as a two-time Saslong winner. “It’s been a rough week,” Bennett said. “The speed isn’t quite there right now, so you’re kind of fighting it.” He noted that starting first made things harder as conditions changed, but said the focus now is clear: “We’ll take a few days to train, refocus, reset, and try to build some momentum.”
5 — James Crawford (CAN) — 27th — +2.19, salvaged points on a challenging day as improving light and late starters reshaped the order.
High-bib impact reshapes the points
A remarkable 11 skiers starting with bibs 31 or higher finished inside the top 30 as improving light in the Ciaslat reshaped the race deep in the order.
- 5th — Bib 43 Alessio Miggiano (SUI), +1.04
- 11th — Bib 50 Andreas Ploier (AUT), +1.63
- 14th — Bib 42 Simon Jocher (GER), +1.83
- 16th — Bib 48 Kyle Negomir (USA), +1.85
- 20th — Bib 40 Benjamin Jacques Allioud (ITA), +1.98
- 21st — Bib 58 Sam Alphand (FRA), +1.99
- 22nd — Bib 46 Stefan Rieser (AUT), +2.04
- 24th — Bib 53 Sam Morse (USA), +2.10
- 25th — Bib 55 Henrik von Appen (CHI), +2.14
- 28th — Bib 57 Matthieu Bailet (FRA), +2.21
- 29th — Bib 41 Luis Vogt (GER), +2.22
- 30th — Bib 35 Felix Monsen (SWE), +2.23
Highest bib to score points: Bib 35
Fastest finisher among bibs 31+: Bib 43
Energy carries to the finish
Even away from home, von Allmen felt the support.
“It’s pretty cool,” he said. “They bring a lot of energy here in the finish area. It’s always nice when they’re here and when you can share that energy with everyone.”
Asked if he would celebrate with them afterward, he smiled.
“Maybe.”
What’s next
With the Bormio downhill removed from the calendar as the venue prepares to host the Olympic men’s races, the next men’s World Cup downhill will not take place until January 17 in Wengen, giving teams a rare pause to evaluate their speed programs midway through the season.
Top 30 results
Click images to enlarge
Analysis of the top three and Other North Americans among the top 30
About the Author: Peter Lange
