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01/16 06:44 CST Giovanni Franzoni's run in Wengen super-G makes him an Olympics contender for host Italy Giovanni Franzoni's run in Wengen super-G makes him an Olympics contender for host Italy WENGEN, Switzerland (AP) --- Host Italy has a new contender in Alpine skiing with the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics three weeks away. Giovanni Franzoni was in position to claim his first World Cup victory on the famed Lauberhorn course in a super-G Friday. The 24-year-old Franzoni --- a former world junior champion in super-G, downhill and Alpine combined --- was the first racer on course and took advantage of the No. 1 bib to deliver a near-perfect run. Reaching a top speed of 140.44 kph (87 mph), Franzoni finished 0.35 seconds ahead of Stefan Babinsky of Austria and 0.37 ahead of downhill world champion Franjo von Allmen of Switzerland. Franzoni handled the tricky Canadian Corner and Kernen S sections on the upper portion of the course cleaner than anyone else. "I made the difference on the turn where I crashed a few years ago," he said, referring to his season-ending fall in a super-G in 2023 that resulted in thigh surgery. Swiss standout Marco Odermatt, a four-time winner in Wengen, placed fourth, 0.53 behind. The top American was Ryan Cochran-Siegle in sixth. Lower-ranked skiers are still coming down the course. Franzoni also led both downhill training sessions and could be a contender in the classic downhill on Saturday. His previous best World Cup finish was third in a super-G on home snow in Val Gardena last month. He has been racing in memory of his close friend and former roommate, Matteo Franzoso, who died in a crash in September while training in Chile. Now Franzoni will be among the leaders for Italy's team in Bormio, where men's Alpine skiing will be contested during the Olympics. The opening ceremony for the Games is scheduled for Feb. 6. Marco Schwarz, the Austrian who won the previous super-G in Livigno, Italy last month, missed the race due to sickness. Also sitting out this weekend is Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, the Norwegian standout who returned this season after a horrific crash in Wengen two years ago. "This year," Kilde said on Instagram this week, "it's just a little too early." ___ AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

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