Skiing, Franzoni’s feat. The Kitzbuehel descent is his

Giovanni Franzoni at 24 he is already in the history of the Alpine Skiing World Cup. Lo blue skier he won Kitzbühel downhill considered one of the most difficult of all White Circus due to its length (almost two minutes of competition), jumps and key points. Franzoni, originally from Manerba del Gardastandard bearer of the Yellow Flamesset the best time with 1’52″31, making the difference in the second part of the legendary race track ‘Streif’ of the renowned and noble locality of the Austrian Tyrol.

Giovanni Franzoni is the fourth Italian in history to win the ”Hahnenkamm-Rennen’, the downhill race now in its 86th edition. The first was on January 24, 1998, Crillingthe second Dominik Paris three-time winner of the downhill (26 January 2013, 21 January 2017 and 25 January 2019) and Peter Fill (January 23, 2016). The Swiss super champion is second at seven hundredths of a second Marco Odermatt (yesterday winner in the super-G), third was the Frenchman Maxence Muzaton at 39 hundredths who, having gone down with bib number 29, displaced the other Italian from the podium, Florian Schiederfourth at 67. Seventh Paris at 93, eleventh Mattia Casse at 1″40. Franzoni’s second career triumph after the one in super gigantic di Wengenallows Italy to reach 198 successes in the men’s World Cup. The special ranking of the multiple winners sees the Azzurri in command Alberto Tomba with 50 ahead of Gustavo Theni and Dominik Paris with 24.

The Streif track and Franzoni’s feat

The ‘Mausefalle’ (mousetrap) after less than ten seconds of the race, the ‘Steilhang’, the jump of the ‘Alte Schneise’, the wall of the ‘Laerchenschuss’, the line to hold on the ‘Hausbergkante’, before launching himself even at 140 kilometers per hour in the long ‘Zielschuss’. These are words that mean little to the general public but that for them ski enthusiasts, athletes and legends, they say it all. They are the key points of the ‘Streif’ slope in Kitzbühelwhat many consider the more difficult trackmore difficult and more complete than all the White Circus. Since 1931, when it took place for the first time, all the biggest ones have won. In the roll of honor full of names who have written the history of skiing – from the Austrians Toni Sailer, Franz Klammer and Hermann Maier to the Swiss Pirmin Zurbriggen, Franz Heinzer and Didier Cuche – now there is also that of Giovanni Franzoni. Il champion from Brescia he won with one truly superlative performance which was worth the fourth podium in his career in just over a month but above all the entry into history. The financier from Manerba sul Garda, under special observation in two weeks in the Olympic competitions which will take place on the ‘Stelvio’ slope in Bormio, had no hesitation in tracing one perfect line especially in the second part of the track. Franzoni is one of youngest winners of the ”Hahnenkamm-Rennen’not the youngest because the record is firmly held by ‘Kaiser’ Franz Bracket who won in 1975 at the age of 21 years, one month and 15 days. The oldest winner, at 37 years of age, is the Swiss Didier Cuche in 2012. The Downhill Cup ranking sees the Swiss in the first two places, Odermatt (460 points) and Franjo von Allmen (295), followed by three Italians, Franzoni (216), Dominik Paris (216) e Florian Schieder (190). In general Odermatt is in command with 1285 points followed by the Brazilian Lucas Pinheiro Braathen (618), Franzoni is the best with 356. Tomorrow the Kitzbühel stage will be completed with the special slalomfirst run at 10.30am, second at 1.30pm.

The emotions and words of Giovanni Franzoni

“It’s a dream, I’m shaking with emotion. It was a bit of a special day, at the start I had Matteo Franzoso in mind because last year we shared the same room”. Giovanni Franzonithe new ‘Koenig’ (King) of Kitzbühel World Cup downhill for his second sharp in a week in a match of White Circus (winner of the Wengen super-giant), in the parterre of the legendary track ‘Streif’he recalls of his dear friend who passed away in September last year following serious injuries sustained in a fall during training on the snow of La Parva in Chile. “The result of yesterday’s super-G took some of the pressure off me and I was particularly excited – added the 24 year old skier from Brescia of the Fiamme Gialle, fourth Italian skier in history to have won one downhill in Kitzbühel -. Before the little road (a stretch of the Austrian slope, ed.) I may have made some mistakes but, as in testing, from then on I skied ‘terrifyingly’. I knew that Odermatt he wanted to do the race because he had never won here (downhill) but when I reached the end with that advantage over Mattia (Casse) I told myself that I had done something great. I knew that to stay in front of me, Odermatt needed a big advantage in the middle of the track.” Talking about his new dimension which began a month ago with the pod in Valley GardenaGiovanni says, “the head makes a lot of difference and for a boy like me who is often a little insecure, believing in it is fundamental: I think this is the big difference compared to previous months. During the race I struggled to loosen up, now I believe in it and I can increase my confidence on skis“. Franzoni is one of youngest winners of the ”Hahnenkamm-Rennen’ (first edition in 1931), not the youngest, a record that is firmly held by ‘Kaiser’ Franz Klammer who won in 1975 at the age of 21 years, one month and 15 days. The oldest winner, at 37 years of age, is Switzerland’s Didier Cuche in 2012.