MILAN, Italy, Feb 8, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Switzerland's Franjo von Allmen claimed the first gold medal of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics as he blasted to victory in the men's downhill on Saturday, hours after the Games opened. In bright sunshine, reigning world champion Von Allmen mastered the fearsome Stelvio course while Marco Odermatt, his Swiss teammate and the pre-race favourite, could only finish fourth. Von Allmen, 24, denied the host nation by finishing 0.20sec ahead of Italian Giovanni Franzoni and another Italian Dominik Paris, who took bronze. "At the moment I can't tell you in words what it means to me, at the moment it feels like a movie," a grinning Von Allmen said. Demonstrators and police clashed following a march through Milan in protest at the Winter Olympics and its environmental impact.

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha February 08, 2026 02:29 UTC