Giovanni Franzoni wins his first World Cup victory in the Super-G in Wengen, on the track where he suffered a serious injury three years ago
Twenty-four thousand spectators, the Lauberhorn mountains as a backdrop, and bib number 1 on their shoulders. Giovanni Franzoni starts first in the Wengen Super-G with anxiety gripping his stomach. “Holy Madonna, either you go or you don’t go,” he says before launching himself. And it goes. He skis in a linear manner, without flaws, finishing in 1’45″19. A time that immediately appears interesting, but being the first to go down he will have to wait for everyone else to tackle the slope before understanding if that time will be enough.
And that was enough: the 24-year-old from Manerbio del Garda he kept everyone behind. Also Marco Odermatt, the dominator of the white circuswhich with bib number 13 finishes fourth at 53 cents. Also Dominik Pariswho however makes a mistake after a few seconds and does not complete the race. As his opponents passed without beating his time, the dream got closer, until it became reality: Franzoni wins ahead of the Austrian Stefan Babinsky (+0″35) and to the Swiss Franjo Von Allmen (+0″37). It is the first World Cup victory of his career.
Revenge at the point of the fall
There is a detail that makes this triumph even more special. Three years ago, precisely in Wengen, Giovanni Franzoni suffered a serious injury that interrupted his career. He had ended up in the nets at Canadian Corner, causing rather serious damage to the flexor muscles of his right thigh: two broken tendons and one torn. An accident that had blocked the progression of a talent capable of dominating among the juniorswith three golds, one silver and one bronze in two World Championships in the category.
And it was precisely at that point, this time, that it made the difference. «I built a good part of my success there», he says, still trembling after the race. «Three years ago I had a serious tendon injury in that corner, today I pushed to give speed and a good race came out». Fate offered him revenge exactly where everything had stopped.
Franzoni’s present and future
The last fraction was his shield: a 15″42 that no one has managed to match. Franzoni also imposed a mental change compared to the past: competing while having fun. «I leave the gate saying to myself: enjoy it, think about skiing». And it works. Even Odermatt, hugging him, recognizes the perfection of his skiing: «So clean, so easy to go down today for you».
With this victory Franzoni rises to third place in the specialty rankings with 218 points, behind Odermatt (325) and the Austrian Kriechmayr (231). It is the first Italian men’s success of the season in the World Cup, thirteen years after Innerhofer’s triumph always in Wengen.
But Giovanni remains with his feet on the ground: «Will my future change? For now only the present changes. I will live day by day. I have always had to look at many opponents from the bottom up, today I overcame them. My mind helped me a lot.” A rediscovered talent, a complete revenge. A present that smiles.
