Incidentally, Franzoni can no longer become the youngest winner of a Hahnenkamm downhill run. In 1975, the “Kaiser” Franz Klemm was 21 years and two months young when he made his first of four pranks.
The potential of the newcomer, who grew up on the southwest shore of Lake Garda, had been known for a long time. In 2021, Franzoni won gold in the Super-G at the Junior World Championships, and a year later gold in the downhill and combined. Last December he achieved his breakthrough with third place in the Super-G in Val Gardena.
When Paris speaks, Franzoni listens carefully
Since Wengen at the latest, the man who once matched with Italy’s tennis star Jannik Sinner in the same age group has thought he was in “flow”. “I’m currently riding very well and cleanly and have a lot of self-confidence. I’m very confident for the weekend.”
Especially since he has a soft spot for technically demanding high-speed routes like the Streif. “This is perhaps my favorite descent,” said Franzoni in only his second week of racing in Kitzbühel. He has always dedicated his successes to his roommate Matteo Franzoso, who died at the summer camp in Chile. This was like a brother to him. “I’ll ski for him all my life.”
With Dominik Paris (36) and Christof Innerhofer (41), Franzoni also has two downhill warriors in his own team. “He’s a legend for me,” Franzoni said of Paris. “He has given me a lot of valuable tips over the past few years. I always listen carefully, they are real treasures for me.”
The squadra are currently pushing each other, said Innerhofer after strong training impressions in Kitzbühel. The established ones don’t give in to the newcomers so quickly. Innerhofer: “Many of us know that we can drive just as well as him.”
Keep reading
