Lauberhorn race Franjo von Allmen makes the Bernese Oberland dream - and puts the brakes on euphoria

SDA

16.1.2025 - 10:00

After his two podium finishes this season, Franjo von Allmen is being portrayed by the organizers in Wengen as the region's beacon of hope. The 23-year-old puts the brakes on.

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  • In his second World Cup season, Franjo von Allmen has claimed two podium places in a downhill race.
  • No wonder, then, that people in the Bernese Oberland are flirting with the first victory by a local since Bruno Kernen in 2003 at the Lauberhorn downhill.
  • Von Allmen is tempering expectations. "I don't put myself under pressure and take everything step by step." He is sticking to this mantra this season.

Franjo von Allmen gets a little uncomfortable when people talk to him about the fact that he is now one of the favorites among downhill skiers. He then feels the need to put things into perspective and point out that this is only his second World Cup season. He still lacks the necessary experience, which is an important factor on a course like the one in Wengen in order to be among the constant podium contenders.

But Von Allmen also knows the mechanisms of professional sport. Anyone who comes second in two downhill races in a row is automatically the focus of public attention. "Expectations from the outside rise faster than they do for me," says the speed specialist on Wednesday.

In Von Allmen's case, it is not only the media, but also the organizers of the races in Wengen who are stirring up high expectations. Shortly after the races in Bormio, they sent out a message saying that the Bernese Oberland was dreaming of its first World Cup victory in 22 years thanks to Von Allmen.

Will Von Allmen be the successor to Bruno Kernen, who was the last Bernese Oberlander to win in Wengen on January 18, 2003 (Von Allmen was one and a half years old at the time)? This image goes a little too far for the young athlete. "Yes, they were good results recently. But to expect the next podium places, let alone victory, would almost be cheeky," says Von Allmen.

The pressure thing

It is understandable that young athletes want to take the pressure off themselves. High expectations can confirm a young rider on their chosen path, but they can also paralyze them, as Von Allmen's teammate Alexis Monney, who is a year older, explained a few weeks ago.

Around two years ago, Monney was regarded as the greatest young hope in the Swiss speed team. However, because the good results did not materialize immediately, he was increasingly overshadowed by Von Allmen last season. It was the young Bernese skier, for example, who became the second ski racer after high-flyer Marco Odermatt to sign a lucrative contract with the drinks company Red Bull this season.

Monney, meanwhile, was quite happy that the focus had shifted somewhat. This allowed him to work on himself away from the spotlight. And lo and behold, he snatched the first World Cup victory from under Von Allmen's nose in Bormio at the end of the year. 24 hundredths on the "Stelvio" piste decided in Monney's favor.

Von Allmen was easily able to cope with the narrowly missed victory in Bormio. On the one hand, he didn't begrudge it to his team-mate, and on the other, given his performance, it seems only a matter of time before he too will be standing at the top of the podium one day. Everyone makes their own way, says Von Allmen. "I don't put myself under pressure and take everything step by step." He is sticking to this mantra this season.

"Quasi dehim" in Wengen

In any case, Von Allmen remained true to his carefree attitude and enjoyed his time off after the turn of the year, including at a "retro event" on the Jaun Pass in an eighties outfit and on wooden skis. After the short break, there is a packed program until the World Championships in Saalbach. It starts with Wengen, which is "quasi dehim" for Von Allmen, as he writes on social media.

He grew up in Boltigen in Obersimmental, but also has roots in Lauterbrunnen. In any case, there will be no shortage of support. Von Allmen's rapidly growing fan club now has a good 600 members. In the Super-G on Friday, schoolchildren from Boltigen will also be providing entertainment in the stands.

Last year, Von Allmen experienced ups and downs at the Lauberhorn. First, he was waved off in the sprint downhill after Marco Kohler's fall with the number 36 and had to be brought back to the start by helicopter. Despite this, he still managed a strong 14th place. The next day he was eliminated in the super-G, before finishing 14th again on the original downhill course on the third day of the race.

Von Allmen is aiming for an improvement this year. "I would be very happy with a top 10 place," he says. Secretly, he might even be hoping for a little more, even if the thought of the podium seems "cheeky" to him. But at 23, you can be a bit cheeky.