The old man and the child took hands and went together towards the snow. It is not Francesco Guccini’s dystopian fairy tale, but a double dream come true: Giovanni Franzoni, 24 years old, who will have another medal to dedicate to the memory of Matteo Franzoso, and Dominik Paris, 36, tamed the Stelvio, finishing second and third behind the Swiss Franjo von Allmen (Switzerland). And you couldn’t have asked for a better debut.
There may be the bitterness of not being first immediately, but tomorrow we will understand that it would be out of place: the Olympic podium is a lot for those like Paris who lacked only this and had an appointment with the track of life right at the home Games. He had won seven times here between downhill and Super-G, but in the last four years he seemed to have lost a bit of confidence: he had to let himself be crushed by the pressure of the last resort, for the Olympic medal that was still missing from a high-level career. And instead he did everything he could, a bronze that is worth gold.
The silver is worth even more in perspective at 20 cents from Franzoni’s gold than still a boy, just appearing on the speed stage of the White Circus, arriving from the giant. After your debut victory on the Streif in Kitzbühel, which is the Scala of downhill racing with a standing ovation, don’t tremble at the Games at home, the first time everyone looks at you as a favourite, it’s a great sign of talent in a discipline where experience, (Paris docet), serves and helps.
We’ll see some good ones. Starting with the Olympic Super-G on the same track on February 11th.
