Heavy medal: Downhill bronze winner Dominik Paris of Italy sings in a rock band when not ski racing

BORMIO, Italy (AP) — The heavy metal singer may have some new material for a song — his Olympic bronze medal.

When he's not ski racing, Dominik Paris of Italy is the frontman for a band called “Rise of Voltage.” No matter the stage, he finds a way to be in the center of it.

The 36-year-old Paris earned his first Olympic medal in the downhill Saturday at his fifth Winter Games. The fact the elusive medal came here, in Italy at the Milan Cortina Games, on a course he knows so well, and got to share the spotlight with Giovanni Franzoni, his young teammate who earned silver, only adds to the moment.

Shortly after receiving his bronze prize, Paris glanced up at the Stelvio slope, a place where he's won seven times on the World Cup circuit, with a look of splendor.

“It’s a beautiful, tough mountain,” Paris said. “It’s great to have this home crowd here.”

Paris and Franzoni put on quite a show for a home crowd in a race won by Franjo von Allmen of Switzerland. The Italians went one after another, first Franzoni and then Paris, with both finishing on the podium.

It was a proud moment for Paris, who's helping mentor the 24-year-old Franzoni.

“It’s cool having a future in our team that pushes everybody,” Paris said. “It’s good for Italy.”

Over his career, Paris has won 24 World Cup races and a world championship in the super-G in 2019. But an Olympic medal has eluded him. His best finish in his nine previous races was fourth in the downhill at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.

“I’ve had a nice career so far,” Paris said. “Having this success on this hill means a lot. The World Cup is different. The Olympics is really special — you never know what’s going to happen. I tried so hard at the other Olympic Games when I was in good shape and I was young and I had the power.”

Franzoni was envisioning a moment like this in December. He told Paris how special it would be if both were on the same podium.

“This is the biggest stage to share a podium with him,” Franzoni said. “I’m so happy about that. He gave me a lot of tips during this season, in the World Cup, and I really appreciate that. He’s such a strong guy, a legend, and it’s an honor to be on his team.”

This medal just may strike a chord for Paris to construct a song.

Paris and his group formed in 2017 and released their first album — fittingly enough called “Time” — a year later. They're described as a “groove metal band.” They released a second album in 2024 called “Escape,” which features a heavier sound. They have tour dates that kick off in June.

“I’m, for sure, a better skier,” Paris cracked. “But if you listen to metal, I’m not so bad.”

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AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing and AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics