Olympic Men's Downhill Awaits New Hero Fifty Years After Klammer's Legend
Five decades have passed since Franz Klammer launched his swashbuckling assault on the Patscherkofel slope above Innsbruck, claiming one of the most enduring men's downhill gold medals in Olympic history. Now, the traditional 'blue riband' event of the Winter Olympics is holding out for a fresh hero to emerge on the awe-inspiring Stelvio above Bormio this Saturday.
Odermatt Stands as Overwhelming Favourite for Victory
Switzerland's Marco Odermatt starts as the strong favourite for the prestigious race. A four-time consecutive overall world champion, he has surpassed Pirmin Zurbriggen as the most successful Swiss skier in history. Odermatt won giant-slalom gold in Beijing in 2022, extending the Federer-like fame he enjoys in his home nation.
However, Odermatt has struggled to transcend his sport in the same manner as Klammer, a 22-year-old farm boy who blazed to victory in front of 60,000 locals, causing Italy's Bernhard Russi to recall, "the whole mountain started to shake." Nor does Odermatt embody the rags-to-riches tale of Bill Johnson, a one-time car thief who bragged, "I don't even know why everyone else is here," before stealing gold in 1984.
Italian Hopes Rest on Veteran Paris and Rising Star Franzoni
Italy's men's skiers have long lived in the shadow of Alberto Tomba, the slalom and giant-slalom specialist nicknamed 'La Bomba'. The host nation, whose only previous men's downhill gold was won by Zeno Colo in 1952, craves a new king to deny Odermatt.
Dominik Paris carries Italian hopes into Saturday's Olympic men's downhill. The 36-year-old, who ranks second alongside Peter Muller for all-time World Cup men's downhill wins, has already tamed the Stelvio course seven times on the World Cup circuit. After training on Thursday, Paris said, "It's a fight between the slope and you. Who is stronger?" He dreams of giving his career a fairy tale finish.
If not Paris, Italy could pin its hopes on the rapidly emerging Giovanni Franzoni. The 24-year-old from Brescia edged Odermatt for his first World Cup downhill win in Kitzbuhel late last month. Franzoni began this season aspiring simply to make the World Cup's top 30 start-list and qualify for the Games, stating, "My goal has been reached and I have gone beyond my expectations. It's just crazy."
Historical Context and the Shadow of Legends
Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal, who won gold in 2018 two years after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in a crash, is coincidentally in Bormio as coach of US superstar Lindsay Vonn. Vonn's ligament-defying exploits, along with those of Mikaela Shiffrin, continue to attract the majority of alpine attention, stretching column inches worldwide.
Few of the men's top names find their achievements straying far beyond the traditional alpine nations where they are feted as heroes. Yet, if Paris or Franzoni can channel the ebullient spirit of Klammer half a century on, the Olympic men's downhill will have a new story to tell. Such a victory might even shift some international column inches away from the Vonn and Shiffrin show, rekindling global interest in the men's blue riband event.
