Switzerland claims second gold at Saalbach 2025 Alpine World Ski Championships in the name of young talent 23-year-old Franjo Von Allmen. Vincent Kriechmayr finished in second position 0.24 seconds behind the Swiss. Von Allmen's teammate Alexis Monney rounded up the podium.
This season, Franjo von Allmen stands out as a name to watch among the favorites in Downhill. He has consistently placed within the Top 10 in his last seven World Cup races. He has secured three podium finishes in World Cup Downhill events, achieving second place in Val Gardena, Bormio, and Wengen.
He is the youngest Downhill world champion since the German Hans-Jörg Tauscher won in Vail in 1989. He is the 15th Swiss Downhill World Champion.
"It's difficult to put into context what's happening to me right now. I'm trying to enjoy the moment. After the Super-G, I wanted to attack again, I had nothing to lose. I took a big risk, it was at the limit, but it worked. I had a lot of fun," Von Allmen said.
This marks Kriechmayr's fifth medal at the World Championships. He secured gold in both the Downhill and Super-G events at the 2021 Alpine World Ski Championships in Cortina. Additionally, he earned a silver medal in the Super-G and a bronze in the Downhill at Åre 2019. He is the first Austrian with three Ski World Championships Downhill medals.
Stephanie Venier's gold in the Super-G, along with silver medals for Mirjam Puchner in the Downhill, Raphael Haaser in the Super-G, and Vincent Kriechmayr in the Downhill has already made the speed competitions a success for the Austrian Team.
"My run was good, though I made a few small errors. Von Allmen also didn't ski perfectly, as he made some minor mistakes too. I believe I was too low in the traverse, which I handled better in training. It didn't go exactly as I had planned, but overall it was a very good run. Skiing is incredibly beautiful, but without fans, it would only be half as enjoyable. They make the moment extraordinary," Kriechmayr said.
Alexis Monney made it onto the podium and gave Switzerland their fourth medal in Salalbach.
"A great day. I was a bit surprised at the finish line because I made a mistake in the middle section. Then I saw the green lights and a one-second lead. I'm having a lot of fun skiing this year, that's very important. When I'm having fun, I'm always fast. We're a great team. It's really nice to be on the podium with Franjo. It feels like a dream," Monney said.
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