FIS Alpine Ski World Cup 2024/25: Alexis Monney claims maiden victory in Bormio downhill as Marco Odermatt avoids crash to take fifth – results

Swiss speedster Alexis Monney launched a late charge to claim his first FIS Alpine Ski World Cup victory in the Bormio downhill in Italy on Saturday (28 December).

Monney skied the bottom half superbly to overhaul compatriot and early leader Franjo von Allmen by 0.24. Cameron Alexander of Canada rounded out the podium in third place.

Italy’s Mattia Casse was fourth ahead of reigning downhill and overall World Cup champion Marco Odermatt who might well have won but for almost falling late on.

Von Allmen was third down the challenging Stelvio slope and set a target which looked like being enough for his first World Cup win. But he had to settle for his second podium finish as 24-year-old teammate Monney, wearing start bib 19, clocked the quickest time in each of the final three sectors to take the win.

Odermatt was ahead over the first few splits before he hit a compression midway through the run and somehow avoiding hitting the deck. The motion made his airbag inflate, complicating matters further, but the Swiss star still managed to secure a top-five finish.

On the slope which will be used for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, there were no serious incidents after Friday training was marred by two heavy crashes which saw two skiers airlifted to hospital.

The French Ski Federation revealed earlier on Saturday that Cyprien Sarrazin, who won the race last year, had undergone surgery to reduce pressure on a brain bleed. Sarrazin was sent flying after he hit a bump just before a left-hand turn.

Italian skier Pietro Zazzi was also taken away by helicopter and found to have fractures to his tibia and fibula.