Downhill victories for Cornelia Hütter & Franjo von Allmen

What a top-speed day for the HEAD Worldcup Rebels on Saturday! In Val d’Isère, Cornelia Hütter wins the Downhill, followed immediately by Franjo von Allmen, who wins the Downhill classic on the Saslong run in Val Gardena. The Swiss athlete was already on the podium this season when he took second place in the first Downhill on Thursday. Lindsey Vonn defends her red jersey in the Downhill, finishing third on Saturday.

"Cornelia Hütter found the perfect line. She skied an awesome run. The team’s success was once again rounded off by Lindsey Vonn's brilliant performance. Fifth place for Laura Pirovano was also amazing. Cornelia Hütter is a real speed discipline athlete. She planned it very well today, and the equipment was also right. St. Moritz went well enough, but that's not where she skis best," said HEAD Racing Director Rainer Salzgeber. "Franjo von Allmen's run was totally class. To attack like that again after dropping out of the Super-G was really mighty. If he hadn't made that one mistake, he would be even further in the lead. That was really a fantastic achievement. Nils Alphand finishing fourth and fifth, and Alessio Miggiano starting with bib number 43 and finishing fifth, was also a highlight. That was really outstanding. What these young athletes achieve is truly awesome."

Third Downhill victory for Franjo von Allmen

This is Franjo von Allmen's fourth World Cup victory, his third in the Downhill following Crans Montana in February 2025 and Kvitfjell in March 2025. "I managed to keep up the speed well. There were two sections where it wasn't so good, so more is possible. But I always try to take the positives with me. Because I fell twice in Super-G races, that can have an effect in the long run. But it's easy for me to put that to the back of my mind," said the 24-year-old Swiss athlete.

Nils Alphand and Alessio Miggiano just miss the podium

Two more HEAD Worldcup Rebels followed in fourth and fifth place, Nils Alphand from France and Alessio Miggiano from Switzerland. They both narrowly missed the podium; Nils Alphand by two hundredths of a second and Alessio Miggiano by six hundredths of a second. It was also the best result in the World Cup for both of them so far. Vincent Kriechmayr from Austria finished 13th, Simon Jocher from Germany 14th, Justin Murisier from Switzerland 16th, Henrik von Appen from Chile 25th, James Crawford from Canada 27th, and Matthieu Bailet from France 28th.

First victory for Cornelia Hütter in Val d'Isère

This is the tenth World Cup victory for Cornelia Hütter overall, her fifth in the Downhill. It is the 33-year-old Austrian athlete's first win of the season, and it is her first victory in Val d'Isere. Previously, she last stood on top of the podium in the Downhill in Kvitfjell in February 2025. “I didn't expect to see the green light at the finish line. But I did notice that I hadn't been hanging about anywhere on that run. I'm absolutely delighted. I still have to find out where that came from today," said Cornelia Hütter at the finish.

Lindsey Vonn defends her red jersey in the Downhill

Finishing third in the Downhill means that Lindsey Vonn defended her lead in the Downhill discipline rankings with 240 points. Right behind her, two more HEAD World Cup Rebels are ranked second and third: Emma Aicher from Germany with 171 points and Cornelia Hütter with 155 points. "I was okay, and I skied well in the middle section. Then I made a big mistake lower down. Everything works well. I know where the mistakes are and that I can be faster. That's the important thing," said Lindsey Vonn. Also in the top ten were Laura Pirovano from Italy in fifth place and Emma Aicher in tenth place. The amazing overall result achieved by the HEAD team included Nina Ortlieb from Austria in eleventh place, Kajsa Vickhoff Lie from Norway 14th, Ariane Rädler from Austria 16th, Elena Curtoni from Italy 17th, Delia Durrer from Switzerland 18th, Allison Mollin from the USA 22nd, Magdalena Egger from Austria 24th, and Keely Cashman from the USA in 28th place.

First podium of the season for Franjo von Allmen

In the first Downhill in Val Gardena on Thursday - the 1,000th in the World Cup - Franjo von Allmen raced onto the podium for the first time this season in second place. The Swiss athlete was only 15 hundredths of a second behind his compatriot Marco Odermatt. For Franjo von Allmen, this is the ninth podium finish in his career, and his sixth in the Downhill. "I'm very happy to take this second place. I didn't get off to a good start. It was not as well coordinated as it should be, but the rest went well, and I am very satisfied," said Franjo von Allmen.

Nils Alphand finishes fifth in the first Downhill

Starting with the high bib number 47 and finishing just 27 hundredths of a second behind the winner, Nils Alphand landed in fifth place. This is the best World Cup result in the 29-year-old French athlete's career. Previously, his personal best was ninth place in the Downhill in Bormio in 2023. World Cup points were also won by Stefan Babinsky from Austria in 14th place, Alessio Miggiano 18th, Justin Murisier 22nd, James Crawford 23rd, and Vincent Kriechmayr 24th. These are the first points for Alessio Miggiano in the World Cup.

Matthieu Bailet is the best HEAD Worldcup Rebel in the Super-G

In Friday's Super-G, Matthieu Bailet started with bib number 43 to finish fifth as the fastest of the HEAD team athletes, just one tenth of a second behind third place. Vincent Kriechmayr also landed in the top ten in ninth place. Points were also notched up by Raphael Lessard from Canada in 20th place, Alessio Miggiano 21st, Justin Murisier 23rd, and Simon Jocher 29th. This is the first time that Raphael Lessard wins World Cup points.