Paris Wins In Kvitfjell
The winner of the race was Italian force Dominik Paris who now has 19 downhill World Cup wins to his name - the second most for any male ski racer in history. Second place went to Swiss skier Marco Odermatt with third going to Swiss skier Stefan Rogentin.
It began as a gorgeous spring day with a sunrise over the course as the skiers descended upon inspection. There was notably just one training run before the race after the second training run was canceled due to wind and poor snow conditions on the track. This meant the skiers had less time to feel out the track and test out different lines before the race. To find success in the race it would be necessary to take the right amount of risk.
Defying a long run of relatively poor form, gusting winds and those lightening quick Swiss, Paris rolled back the years down one of his favorite tracks. Allying aggression with a subtle touch key for the warm conditions, the 35-year-old secured a record fourth victory on the Olympiabakken, finishing in a time one minute 44.67 seconds.
That proved too good even for the great Marco Odermatt (SUI/Stöckli). The reigning World Cup champion did find his best ever performance in Kvitfjell, but a slightly ragged top section cost him dear, as he finished 0.32 seconds back.
Second place does help Odermatt extend his lead to 103 points in the season-long race for the Crystal Globe. Nearest challenger Franjo von Allmen (SUI/Head) was unable to recover from a major mistake off the thrilling Winther’s Cut jump as he ended fourth. That left the door open for yet another Swiss skier to climb onto a Downhill podium.
Stefan Rogentin (SUI/Fischer) has spent most of the season looking up longingly at his teammates but he finally found his pace on the 1994 Olympic track, surging up into third (+0.63) - a first ever Downhill World Cup podium in his 55th start.
Along with Odermatt’s second place, that means the Swiss men have now claimed 14 of the 21 Downhill podium spots this season.
Alexis Monney (SUI/Stöckli) has three of those himself but this time he wound up the fourth quickest man in red, good enough for fifth place.
Home hope Adrian Smiseth Sejersted (NOR/Atomic) got the crowd very excited halfway down his run, but from bib No.20 the recently crowned World Championship Downhill bronze medallist wasn’t quite able to maintain his pace to the finish, fading to sixth.
No such problems for Paris, who wishes he could roll up the Olympiabakken and take it with him everywhere he goes.
“I don’t know if I am the King but I am feeling well, it’s a good hill for me,” laughed the 2016, 2019, 2022 and now 2025 champion.
The Italian, who arrived in Kvitfjell with just two top-10 finishes this season and without a victory for 14 months, then explained just what it takes to win down the famous track.
“It’s a bit technique, a lot of feeling,” he explained. “You have to be very smooth and yeah, I know the key section. That makes it a bit easier.”
Smooth through the tough technical turns at the top, Paris certainly made it look easy. Having built up a sizeable 0.41-second advantage over Odermatt at the mid-section split, the Italian then simply glided away from the field, clocking 134.1kmph, the top speed of the day.
“It means a lot, it was a hard year. I started not good and now the last races always a bit stronger and better and to be back on the top, that is very special,” said Paris, who now stands level with Petter Muller (SUI) in second place on the all-time World Cup Downhill winners list.
Odermatt knows exactly where he will have to improve if he wants to match Paris and step up to the top of the podium in Saturday’s second Kvitfjell Downhill. The prize on offer is certainly alluring enough, with Odermatt potentially able to secure a second successive Crystal Globe.
“I was actually pretty surprised in the finish when I saw the green light and my time. I didn’t really feel that good on the top part into the flat, I lost the line,” Odermatt explained. “Then from there, from the Russijump, I really told myself ‘now you have to keep pushing, full gas’. From there down it was a very good run. I tried several times before in the Downhill (here) and never came better than seventh place. A great step.”
Should the 27-year-old replicate that brilliant lower section throughout and claim a first win in Kvitfjell, he will secure the Globe, no matter what von Allmen does.
His young teammate may have lost a bit of ground on Odermatt in the season-long race, but he did produce a quite remarkable piece of skiing just to make it to the bottom.
“It’s nice to be captain of such a great team,” Odermatt, who has three other Swiss skiers for company in the top six of the rankings, said with a grin. “The young guns, they are coming, they are pushing me a lot. I try to stay on the top. Franjo came very, very close in many races already. We are having a good time together, we try to help each other, push each other. They also push me and that’s something very good.”
It may be the sixth time in seven races that Switzerland has had at least two racers on the podium this season, but it is very much a first for Rogentin.
“It’s incredible, we have such a competitive team. We have a lot of guys who ski really well and you have seen the results in the season,” said Rogentin, whose previous best this season was 10th in Val Gardena.
While plenty of racers struggled in the relative warmth, Rogentin had a smile on his face.
“I like these conditions, I like it when it’s a little bit spring snow, when it’s a little bit softer than usual, a little bit wet,” he said. “In the past races in Kvitfjell it didn’t work as well as I hoped for but this year, I have my first podium in Downhill. It’s a little miracle for me.”
