Franjo von Allmen, the 24-year-old Swiss alpine skier who captured the first gold medal of the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, delivered another triumph by winning gold in the men’s team event. This victory marks him as the first athlete to secure two golds at the Games.01
Downhill Gold Kicks Off Olympic Success
Von Allmen stormed to victory in the men’s downhill on January 7 at Italy’s Stelvio Ski Center in Bormio. He clocked 1 minute, 51.61 seconds to claim the honor of the Games’ inaugural champion.35
Dominant Performance in Team Event
On January 9, von Allmen paired with teammate Tanguy Nef, 30, in the men’s alpine skiing team event at the same venue. The Swiss duo combined for a winning time of 2 minutes, 44.04 seconds.
The format pits two athletes per nation in a gate round followed by an exchange round. Von Allmen, running the exchange leg, posted 1:52.22 to place fourth in his heat. Nef’s blistering 51.82 seconds from the gate leg secured the top spot overall.12
Overcoming Adversity
Despite leg fatigue from back-to-back competitions, von Allmen rallied amid crowd energy. His inspiring journey gained attention: after losing his father at 17, he worked as a carpenter on construction sites during off-seasons and relied on crowdfunding to revive his skiing career.420
Podium Finish for Rivals
Austria’s Vincent Kriechmayr and Manuel Feller, plus Switzerland’s Marco Odermatt and Loïc Meillard, tied with a time of 2:45.03—just one-hundredth of a second apart—for the shared silver medals.0
