Pakistan, Jan. 25 -- Italy's Giovanni Franzoni set himself up perfectly for next month's Winter Olympics on home snow by winning Saturday's World Cup downhill in Kitzbuehel, considered the Holy Grail of alpine skiing.

Franzoni clocked 1min 52.31sec for just his second victory on the circuit, pushing Swiss master Marco Odermatt, who retained his super-G title on Friday, into second by 0.07sec. France's Maxence Muzaton belied his lowly bib number of 29 to round out the podium (+0.39).

"It's crazy!" Franzoni said. "I never considered myself as a downhill skier. "Taking a first podium in Wengen and a first victory in Kitzbuehel is unbelievable. Every downhill skier wants to win here, it's everyone's dream."

Franzoni dedicated his win to fo...