Wengen (Switzerland) (AFP) - Italy’s Giovanni Franzoni warmed up for next month’s Winter Olympics in perfect style on Friday as he registered his maiden win on the World Cup circuit with victory in the men’s super-G in Wengen.

The 24-year-old, wearing bib No.1 after topping the two training runs on the famed Lauberhorn course during the week, dedicated his win to former teammate Matteo Franzoso, who died in a training crash in Chile in September.

“It’s always on my mind and I try to remember him always,” Franzoni said. “I dedicated my first podium to him and also this victory. I said at the beginning of the season I would ski with him all my life.”

The Italian clocked 1min 45.19sec for first place, 0.35sec ahead of Austria’s Stefan Babinsky. Swiss racer Franjo von Allmen rounded out the podium, two-hundredths behind the Austrian.

Franzoni, whose victory comes as skiers fine-tune preparations for the February 6-22 Olympics in Milan-Cortina, was a three-time world junior champion (super-G 2021, downhill and combined 2022) and notched up his first World Cup podium on home snow in Val Gardena last month with a third place in the super-G.

Swiss master Marco Odermatt won that day in Val Gardena, but had to be happy with fourth in a sun-kissed Wengen, a result that consolidates his healthy lead atop the overall standings.

“I’ve been working hard for years, but suddenly I managed to make a leap in quality,” Franzoni told Swiss television RTS.

“In my opinion, it’s largely in the mind because when you gain confidence, you ski more relaxed, more assured, and things just fall into place.”

Franzoni, who clocked a blistering 140.44km/h (87mph) down the Hanneggschuss – the fastest part of the Lauberhorn – called his run “completely unbelievable”.

“I crashed here three years ago and I had a bad injury on my hamstring and I struggled a lot during the next year to recover,” he said.

“Today with bib No.1 I had a lot of pressure but I just tried to enjoy the race and I was fast,” Franzoni added. “I was anxious because opening this legendary slope with this massive crowd is always unbelievable.”

Franzoni came into this season with just three World Cup top-10 finishes to his name.

“It’s been a long journey because during the last three years I worked a lot. Mentally I grew up really, really a lot,” he said.

Odermatt made a costly error up top, but immediately acknowledged Franzoni’s winning effort.

“I saw your run and I said that’s No.1,” Odermatt told the Italian. “So clean, so easy.”

It was also a first podium finish for Babinsky, one of the least heralded Austrian racers.

“It was a very good run and I am proud of it,” he said. “It was a tough fight the last years, I got some fourth places but never (a podium). I always trusted in myself and I think that’s probably the key.”

Action continues Saturday with the downhill at 1030 GMT, and a slalom scheduled for Sunday.

“Start from zero tomorrow,” said home hope Von Allmen. “And we will see what happens.”