Swiss sweep again as Von Allmen beats Odermatt in World Cup downhill, takes title race to U.S. finale

The Associated Press

· Posted: Mar 08, 2025 8:29 AM EST | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

In yet different Swiss duel successful World Cup men's downhills, Franjo von Allmen edged teammate Marco Odermatt to triumph Saturday and nonstop their season-long rubric contention to the last contention successful the United States.

Von Allmen, the caller satellite champion aged conscionable 23, finished 0.28 seconds up of Odermatt, who needed an agile betterment midway down the 1994 Olympics slope astatine Kvitfjell, Norway to enactment upright.

Stefan Rogentin completed a Swiss expanse of the podium successful third, trailing 0.38 down Von Allmen.

Toronto's Jack Crawford (1:46.33) finished eighth arsenic the apical Canadian, 0.87 seconds disconnected the pace.

WATCH l Crawford finishes 8th astatine Kvitfjell:

Switzerland waited 29 years to decorativeness 1-2-3 successful a World Cup men's downhill astatine Crans-Montana connected Feb. 22. The adjacent 1 came conscionable 14 days later.

Both times Von Allmen won and Odermatt was runner-up. Odermatt smiled successful the decorativeness country Saturday and arsenic a amusement of respect pointed toward his bully person sitting course-side successful the leader's box.

In some of Odermatt's downhill wins this play — astatine Val Gardena, Italy successful December and storied Swiss venue Wengen successful January — Von Allmen was second.

Von Allmen earned 100 World Cup points and Odermatt got 80. That chopped Odermatt's pb successful the downhill standings to 83 and helium needs conscionable a top-14 effect connected March 22 astatine Sun Valley, Idaho, to clasp his downhill title.

"The combat is astir lost," Von Allmen acknowledged, "but everything tin happen. We volition spot what Marco shows america and what I tin amusement successful Sun Valley."

Odermatt is cruising toward a 4th consecutive wide World Cup rubric with a 520-point pb implicit Henrik Kristoffersen, who races lone successful slalom and elephantine slalom. The 27-year-old Odermatt tin corroborate his rubric Sunday by winning a scheduled super-G.

Von Allmen's breakout play present counts 2 wins successful World Cup downhills, 1 successful super-G and 2 worlds golden medals past period astatine Saalbach, Austria, successful downhill and squad combined.

He clocked the fastest velocity Saturday astatine adjacent to 130 kph (81 mph) — slicker than the squirrels caught connected camera scampering crossed the snowfall to the wood down the information fences — connected the 3.04-kilometer (1.9-mile) people utilized astatine the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Games.

Von Allmen said helium was much astatine easiness than erstwhile finishing 4th successful the downhill connected Friday, racing past connected softer snowfall successful the sunshine, erstwhile helium landed a wild, agelong jump.

"Today with the acold temperatures and compact snowfall it felt overmuch better," helium said.

Italian prima Dominik Paris had denied Switzerland triumph successful Friday's downhill erstwhile Odermatt was 2nd and Rogentin third. Paris placed sixth Saturday trailing 0.59 down Von Allmen.

Sun Valley stages the week-long World Cup finals gathering for men and women from March 22-27 — returning to the circuit for the archetypal clip since 1977, erstwhile conscionable slalom and elephantine slalom were raced.