Paris carrying 'good pressure' of home support at Milano Cortina 2026

Dominik Paris (ITA/Nordica) is excited about the "good pressure" that comes with representing Italy at a home Winter Olympics when the men's alpine gets underway at Milano Cortina 2026 later this week.

The world's top male skiers will arrive in Bormio over the coming days, with Downhill training starting on Wednesday ahead of Saturday's opening event of the men's Downhill race.

For Paris it's a refreshingly short journey to the Stelvio slope, having had to pack his bags for long-haul flights to four previous Winter Games at Whistler Creekside 2010, Sochi 2014, PyeongChang 2018, and Beijing 2022.

"It's a good opportunity to start the Olympics in my home place on a slope that I like, where I prefer to ski," the Nordica skier told FIS.

"I've had four Olympics now and it's great to have them at home. I always headed far away from home and this time I can race in front of all the people and my family.

"For sure they expect a lot, but it's more good pressure that pushes you, not pressure that makes you more nervous."

It's not just the home comforts that excite Paris; he's ruled Bormio for the better part of a decade and a half. Stelvio is known as one of the most difficult courses in the world, but the Italian has claimed no fewer than seven World Cup titles here, with the next best in history being three. Of the active skiers, none other than Paris have won more than twice.

Does that mean he comes in with a clearer mind than when he is approaching other races?

"It helps because I'm not thinking a lot about the course and how it is because I know the course well, I know what I have to do," he said.

That's not to say he's the only one who will have expectation on his shoulders in Bormio. Giovanni Franzoni (ITA/Rossignol) has announced himself as a top contender at these Games, having had a season to remember in which he claimed Super G victory in Wengen and a Downhill win at the world famous Kitzbuhel in the last few weeks.

Paris said of his team-mate's hopes at Milano Cortina 2026: "If you win Kitzbuehel it's always different, it means you've arrived in the top group.

"For him maybe it's different because it's his first Olympics, for me I already have the experience."

If either of the pair are to claim glory in these Games they will have to contend with some familiar faces, with two of them coming into competition under the Swiss flag. Aside from Franzoni's Kitzbuehel victory, no Downhill World Cup race has been won by anyone other than Franjo von Allmen (SUI/Head) or Marco Odermatt (SUI/Stoeckli) this season.

Odermatt is also joined by a Swiss team-mate in dominating the Giant Slalom, with he and Loic Meillard (Rossignol) taking five of the seven races between them, while things have been different in the five Super G races, where Odermatt is the only skier to have won more than once this season.

The 28-year-old won a solitary gold in the Giant Slalom at Beijing 2022, and will be looking to add significantly to that overall haul at Milano Cortina having recently won his 50th World Cup title and showing no signs of slowing down. The Stoekli skier has won eight World Cup races this season alone, and will be aiming to win big in Saturday's Downhill as well as in the Super G on 11 February, and in the Giant Slalom on 14 February.

"For sure I want to come home with a medal. Best would be a golden one, but the Olympic Games are always challenging, it's just the medals that count," Odermatt said.

"There's always some surprises. I'm already Olympic Champion so that helps me going into these Games but for sure I'm going to try take another medal."

Asked whether he has set his sights on gold in all three, Odermatt said: "To grab all the gold medals you have to find some things. In the end I think everything works well, I have won in all disciplines this season so technically it's possible but for a victory so many things always have to fit together. It won't be easy."

There will be an equally tense fight in the Slalom on 16 February, with seven different men having stood on the top podium in the nine World Cup races so far this season.

One of them is Lucas Pinheiro Braathen (BRA/Atomic), who competed for Norway at Beijing 2022, but comes into Milano Cortina 2026 hoping to secure a first Winter Olympic Games medal in history for Brazil.

"With Norway, I carried tradition. With Brazil, I carry possibility," the Atomic skier said.

"I grew up between cultures, between mindsets, between mountains and beaches. Brazil didn’t teach me how to ski, but it taught me how to feel. It gave me permission to show who I am, not just what I do.

"So being Lucas Pinheiro Braathen means chasing performance at the highest level, by also staying connected to joy, creativity, and people. I don’t separate the athlete from the human anymore, they’re the same person now.

"This time it feels more personal. I’m not just representing a system, I’m helping build something.

"That responsibility gives me energy. It’s lighter in some ways, deeper in others. I’m racing with my whole story now. And last but not least, I’m representing 200 million people now."

The 25-year-old won Brazil's first ever World Cup race when he stood on the top of the podium in the Levi Slalom in November, and says his aim is to inspire Brazil with his performances in Bormio.

"I feel you with me every run," he said of his message to those in the South American country. "Keep dreaming big, regardless of what that dream may be."

Meanwhile, the new Team Combined element of the Games will add an interesting dynamic, with one Downhill skier and one Slalom skier combining for each nation. It means we could get a lethal combination of Odermatt and Meillard, among others.

Either way, Switzerland will likely provide a powerhouse pairing, while Norway, Italy, Austria and France have the capability of making waves in the concept's Winter Olympic Games debut.