Franjo von Allmen wins World Cup victory No. 3 in Kvitfjell

Franjo von Allmen skis from one success to the next. Following up on his title as World Champion in the Downhill in Saalbach and his first World Cup victory in the discipline in Crans Montana right after that, the Swiss athlete confirms his absolute top form with first place in the Downhill in Kvitfjell on Saturday. This is World Cup victory number three for the 23-year-old HEAD World Cup Rebel. Canadian athlete James Crawford celebrates his first World Cup podium of the season, taking second place in the Super-G in Kvitfjell on Sunday.

"It was another great weekend. While it was unfortunate that Franjo von Allmen just missed the podium on Friday, it was all the more awesome that he won the race on Saturday. The opportunity for the Downhill Crystal Globe is still there and you never know what will happen. But whatever happens, he has had a sensational season," says HEAD Racing Director Rainer Salzgeber. "James Crawford has also had a very good weekend. He landed with his hand on the snow on Friday, which was a close call, but skied a good race on Saturday and finished on the podium on Sunday. That's something he is very pleased about. He can now see that he is fast, and he has confidence in the equipment to deliver top results. That gives him a good feeling for the future. For Camille Rast, the conditions in Aare were not her favourite, but she's still fully in the running for the Crystal Globe and we'll see how things turn out in the finale."

"I'm taking this season as it is - I'm super happy"

On Saturday, in the second Downhill race in Kvitfjell, Franjo von Allmen stood on top of the podium for the third time this season, following his Super-G victory in Wengen in January and his Downhill win in Crans Montana in February. It was also the 23-year-old's first World Cup victory outside his home country. "There are many things that need to fall into place. In contrast to yesterday, the snow conditions certainly suited me better, the slightly cooler temperatures and the compact skiing," said Franjo von Allmen at the finish. "It wasn't easy with the poor visibility at ground level, but I'd rather have hard-pack punchy snow, because that gives you better feedback. We're adding a bit of excitement to the Downhill rankings. But whatever happens, I'm taking this season as it is - I'm super happy, any extras are simply topping."

Nicolo Molteni equals previous best World Cup result in 14th place

Also in the top 15 were James Crawford from Canada in eighth place, Vincent Kriechmayr from Austria ninth, Justin Murisier from Switzerland tenth, Stefan Eichberger from Austria eleventh, and Nicolo Molteni from Italy in 14th place. Nicolo Molteni equalled his previous best World Cup result in the Downhill in Kvitfjell in 2022. Points were also picked up by Ryan Cochran-Siegle from the USA in 19th place and Stefan Babinsky from Austria who was 22nd.

Franjo von Allmen just misses the podium on Friday

In the first Downhill event in Kvitfjell on Friday, Franjo von Allmen finished fourth and just missed the podium. The Swiss athlete was only two tenths of a second behind third place. The top 15 also included Stefan Babinsky in ninth place, Ryan Cochran-Siegle tenth, Vincent Kriechmayr twelfth, Stefan Eichberger 14th, and Justin Murisier 15th. Points also went to James Crawford in 26th place and Nicolo Molteni who finished 27th.

"I really had the confidence to push"

James Crawford bagged second place in the Super-G that rounded off the racing in Kvitfjell on Sunday and was held on a shorter course due to the warm weather. It was the second World Cup podium in the Super-G in the Canadian athlete’s career following second place in Kvitfjell in 2022. In January, the 27-year-old celebrated his first World Cup victory in the Downhill in Kitzbühel. "I had a good plan and a good inspection today. I really had the confidence to push. The middle section was really good and it felt just right today," said James Crawford. Vincent Kriechmayr was a mere two hundredths of a second away from the podium in fifth place. Ninth place went to Stefan Eichberger, eleventh place to Ryan Cochran-Siegle, 13th place to Franjo von Allmen, 14th place to Lukas Feurstein from Austria, 23rd place to Justin Murisier and 25th place to Stefan Babinsky.

Three HEAD World Cup Rebels in the top ten

In the women's Giant Slalom on Saturday in Aare, Camille Rast from Switzerland was the best HEAD athlete in eighth place. World Cup points were also scored by Lara Gut-Behrami from Switzerland in ninth place, Sara Hector from Sweden who was tenth, Wendy Holdener from Switzerland 16th, Estelle Alphand from Sweden 18th, A J Hurt from the USA 19th, Lena Dürr from Germany 22nd, and Hilma Lövblom from Sweden in 25th place, having started with bib number 44.

Marta Rossetti clocks fastest second run

Anna Swenn-Larsson missed the podium by three hundredths of a second to finish in fourth place at her home Slalom in Aare on Sunday. Wendy Holdener came fifth, Lena Dürr seventh and Marta Rossetti eighth. The Italian athlete put in an impressive performance on the second run and clocked the best time to move up another 13 places. Camille Rast finished the race in eleventh place, which, ahead of the last World Cup Slalom in the finale, still gives her a chance of winning the Crystal Globe in this discipline, 41 points behind Zrinka Ljutic. Cornelia Öhlund from Sweden finished in 13th place and A J Hurt was 20th.