CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) — A first Swiss sweep of a World Cup men's downhill podium in 29 years. A teammate cleared of cancer. It was a stellar day for the home team.
World champion Franjo von Allmen led a 1-2-3 result on home snow Saturday at the first World Cup downhill since winning his first career gold medal two weeks ago.
Von Allmen rode out a late scare getting unbalanced after landing the final jump to finish 0.13 seconds ahead of team leader Marco Odermatt. Alexis Monney, the worlds bronze medalist, was again third trailing Von Allmen by 0.42.
The standout Switzerland speed team has won five of the six World Cup downhills this season and placed runner-up in all six. The last time Swiss men swept a World Cup downhill podium was in 1996 at nearby Veysonnaz when Bruno Kernen won.
When the Swiss national anthem played at the victory ceremony, Von Allmen, Odermatt and Monney took off their caps to reveal matching buzz-cut hair after the team-bonding haircuts they all had at the worlds held at Saalbach, Austria.
Switzerland threatens an era of downhill domination ahead of the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Olympics. Odermatt is the oldest at 27 in an event where many racers typically peak in their 30s.
The Swiss trio also showed mastery of the Nationale course at Crans-Montana which will host the next world championships in 2027.
“It just feels amazing," Von Allmen said, and was asked why Switzerland's team was so good this season. "Difficult to say, there are so many puzzles which need to (fit) together. The good Swiss weather, maybe.”
Von Allmen and Monney are having thrilling breakout seasons to back up Odermatt’s drive toward a fourth straight overall World Cup title.
“It’s incredible what they show us this year,” Odermatt said of his teammates. "They are really hard to beat. I had a perfect run, I gave it all.”
Odermatt earned 80 World Cup points to extend his lead in the overall standings to 400 ahead of Henrik Kristoffersen, who does not race in speed events.
With two World Cup downhill wins this season, Odermatt also leads the discipline standings by 73 from Von Allmen, who was runner-up in three races. Von Allmen's first career World Cup win was in a super-G last month, also in Switzerland at Wengen.
A standout race for the Swiss followed the announcement Saturday that teammate Niels Hintermann is clear of the lymph node cancer that kept him from racing this season. The 29-year-old Hintermann is a two-time winner in Wold Cup downhills.
Sunshine broke through the clouds on a 1 Celsius (34 degrees) day as Monney started wearing bib No. 6 to give him a clearer view of the course contours ahead. He posted the fastest time racing to the finish line next to the chalet where the late James Bond actor Roger Moore lived.
The No. 2 starter Florian Schieder clocked the fastest speed just over 126 kph (78 mph) along the 3.6-kilometer (2¼- mile) course.
A super-G race is scheduled Sunday, the first since Odermatt won the world title Feb. 7 in Saalbach, Austria.
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The Associated Press
