Val Gardena/Gröden and Dominik Paris – a special relationship with ups and downs. The local hero from Ultimo/Ulten, who secured his fourth podium finish at the foot of the Sassolungo/Langkofel with third place in the sprint downhill, looks back with us on his special Saslong story.

Dominik, you celebrated your first victory in Val Gardena/Gröden two years ago in the classic downhill race. First place came as something of a surprise at the time, as you had never really been able to get to grips with the Saslong before...
The story of me and Val Gardena/Gröden is actually quickly told: at the beginning of my career, the Saslong was one of my favorite courses because I was able to make good use of my gliding skills here. I also earned my very first World Cup points in Val Gardena/Gröden. Ten years ago, I even made it onto the podium twice within 24 hours. After that, my preparation and skiing style changed somewhat – followed by much more difficult years, during which I often had to deal with disappointment in front of my home crowd. The victory in 2023 was something of a turning point: that race provided me with important insights and showed me what kind of skiing style is required on the Saslong to keep up with the fastest racers.

Have your expectations changed since that victory? Do you travel to Val Gardena/Gröden with higher ambitions?
Basically, I go into every race with the aim of winning (laughs). Here in Val Gardena/Gröden, a podium finish is definitely a great result, but I'd also be happy with a result in the top six or top eight, as long as my performance is good and I'm not too far behind the leaders.

Marco Odermatt is almost always at the top – in the sprint downhill, he once again left the entire competition behind. Is the Swiss skier currently unbeatable if he finishes without any mistakes?
Marco is now strong on every course and is the man to beat everywhere. He analyzes everything very carefully and knows how to play to his strengths on every course. Nevertheless, he can be beaten – as the close margins in the first downhill showed. However, everything has to come together for you to do that.