Von Allmen & Meillard lead sensational Swiss sweep in men’s Team Combined

A sea of red enveloped Saalbach on Wednesday afternoon but unfortunately for most of the hometown crowd there was not much white in it, with Switzerland completing a clean sweep of the men’s Team Combined at the 2025 Alpine World Ski Championships.

Led by their youngest talisman, Franjo von Allmen (SUI/Head), the Swiss men were irresistible once more in Austria.

The new Downhill world champion finished off his dream first Championships with a second gold in four days, won alongside teammate Loic Meillard (SUI/Rossignol). The latter’s smooth Slalom run saw the pair swap places with compatriots Tanguy Nef (SUI/Atomic) and Alexis Monney (SUI/Stöckli), who had held the lead after the morning Downhill.

And as if that was not enough of a Swiss takeover, the nation’s fourth-ranked team, comprising Stefan Rogentin (SUI/Fischer) and Marc Rochat (SUI/Nordica) – a skier who had not originally qualified for these World Championships – jumped up from eighth at the halfway stage to snatch bronze. Thanks in large part to Rochat’s stunning Slalom run.

That left USA pair Ryan Cochran-Siegle (Head) and Benjamin Ritchie (Head) in the unenviable fourth place position, just ahead of the Austrian duo Daniel Hemetsberger (Fischer) and Fabio Gstrein (Atomic).

They like the rest of the field could only shake their heads in admiration for the Swiss men, who have so far won all three men’s gold medals in Saalbach.

After a day in which multiple big name Slalom skiers – including home favorite Manuel Feller (AUT/Atomic) and reigning Olympic champion Clement Noël (FRA/Dynastar) – straddled gates to send their much-vaunted teams crashing out, the field may not have wanted to hear what Swiss Slalom coach Matteo Joris had to say in the finish area.

‘It feels completely unreal’

The future is undeniably bright for skiing’s newest superstar, von Allmen. A big line error at the top of the morning Downhill looked to have put the 23-year-old in trouble but somehow – and von Allmen himself was not quite sure how – he still put Slalom specialist Meillard in the perfect place to strike.

“I couldn’t believe my eyes down here in the finish. I thought my skiing was not good, we can be honest,” von Allmen admitted, “Then I tried to think of Loic and put it all in and try and ski better and it seems that it was not so bad.”

Not so bad was 0.02 seconds behind roommate and Downhill bronze medallist Monney. And after Alex Vinatzer (ITA/Atomic) whose Downhill partner Domink Paris (ITA/Nordica) had put him in third, became another fancied Slalom skier to fall foul of the tight, long Ulli Maier course, Meillard stepped up.

“I didn't know that so many of them (Slalom skiers) went out, to be honest, but it was already stressful to ski, first for myself, but also for Franjo. That was something tough and different to handle from the other races,” Meillard said, before adding simply, “it was the perfect start.”

That is certainly a good way to describe von Allmen’s debut World Championships.

“For me, it feels completely unreal,” the youngster said. “I think it needs some days, maybe the summer, the whole summer, for to realize this.”

‘I couldn’t have hoped for better’

 There may be a few others in Swiss colours attempting to come to terms with success after the team event. Both silver medallist Nef and bronze medal winner Rochat chose the Team Combined as the perfect place to secure their first ever elite-level podium finishes.

The fact Nef had to do it with the pressure of leading, made it all the sweeter.

“It's incredible, I couldn't have hoped for better,” said Nef, whose best World Cup finish of fourth came in the Wengen Slalom this season.

“And actually it's not the first time that I was in this situation, you know, starting last in the second run. So, I learned from my mistakes, and I think the advantage that he had really put me in a good spot. And I knew I didn't have to ski out of my mind.”

Now Nef has a bronze medal, alongside his childhood friend, as well as a non-stop party with the rest of his team.  

“Yeah with the whole rest of the team on the podium, it felt like, you know we were basically in training… but we're actually at the World Champs,” Nef laughed.  

‘My time to shine for once’

Rochat knows just how he feels. Not long ago the 32-year-old was not expecting to even be in Saalbach, but a late flourish – including 10th in Adelboden –  got him here. And then, sat 1.08 seconds behind the lead, he found the Slalom run of his life.

“It is crazy, I've been so close so many times, and you know, I was really believing in the fact that I could manage to pull myself on a podium one day, but this beginning of the season was terrible. And I thought, wow, I'm that far away again,” Rochat said, who arrived in Saalbach with two fourth place finishes from 93 World Cup starts.

“But I thought, well, it's my time to shine, for once, I have a chance. So, I arrived here full of hope and expectations, and this event and this format from the very beginning I thought this is going to be fun to compete with a teammate… and I knew we had a chance.”

His Slalom run, the third quickest in the field, turned that chance into a longed-for medal.

“He did a such a good job. He did a great run,” Rogentin said. “The Swiss ski team has had such a good day.”

‘He will forgive me, eventually’

It was not quite so good for Austria’s finest or indeed their fans, who had to watch on as their historic rivals partied on their snow.

Vincent Kriechmayr (AUT/Head) and Feller were the home nation’s No.1 partnership and many people’s favorites. But after Kriechmayr failed to match the Downhill exploits that delivered silver last Sunday, Feller was left without many options.

There were no such problems for compatriot Gstrein, who continued his recent good form with a solid Slalom run. It left partner Hemetsberger ruing a morning mistake that left him 0.95 seconds off the lead. Although, to be fair the Downhiller was quite pleased just to have made it down in one piece, through the fog and flat light.

“Today I have seen my limits,” Hemetsberger said. “It's terrifying because before the traverse you have a speed of 130kmph and you can't see anything. So that's really scary.”  

Those type of conditions merely underlined the high-stakes nature of an event that has proved a fan and skier favorite. Even if it did cause some heart-break.

“It really sucks, especially when you're a team of two, it hurts a lot more. Someone else has to pay for your mistakes,” Fredrik Moeller (NOR/Atomic) said after he hit the snow during his Downhill and lost the chance to challenge for a medal with Atle Lie McGrath (NOR/Head) – his best friend since kindergarten.

“He will forgive me, eventually,” the forlorn Moeller added.