Fun becomes serious

Curious downhill debut! “You can ride right along”

Franjo von Allmen and his buddy Kevin Wälti (in the small picture on the right) both took part in the race.(Bild: GEPA, instagram.com/franjo_v_allmen)

Vertical ski star Franjo von Allmen had a special guest at the start of the Swiss Downhill Championships. His buddy and former roommate Kevin Wälti surprisingly appeared on the start list. A joke made by the duo was suddenly turned into reality. 

Wälti had no racing experience before his start at this year's downhill of the Swiss Championships in Davos. With the exception of one participation in the local Rinderberg derby. Of course, there were no FIS points for this. That's why he actually only wanted to travel to Davos as a spectator.

But his buddy Franjo von Allmen, who came third in this year's Super-G in Garmisch, joked during the journey: "If you're going to Davos for the Swiss Championships, you might as well take part in the race." What the duo initially laughed heartily about soon became reality.

A passable performance
Wälti was allowed to do a few test runs and proved that he was no slouch on downhill skis. His buddy eventually lent him the necessary equipment and obtained a racing license for the 24-year-old. So the trained carpenter finally threw himself into the race.

The result: a passable race, which he finished in 96th and therefore last place. In the end, he was 8.09 seconds behind the new Swiss champion Josua Mettler. Von Allmen, who once worked with Wälti and lived together in a shared flat, did not take the full risk and finished in fifth place. In the end, the duo were able to toast Wälti's successful debut. From now on, however, they want to pursue their shared hobby again: Riding motocross.