Friedrich Leads in Two-Man Bobsleigh Championship

German Dominance at Halfway Point

The race for World Championship medals in the two-man bobsleigh is once again heavily favoring Germany. At the halfway stage of the competition in Lake Placid, defending champion Francesco Friedrich, alongside brakeman Alexander Schüller, holds a 0.14-second lead over his rival Johannes Lochner, who is partnered with Georg Fleischhauer. Adam Ammour, paired with Benedikt Hertel, has secured third place, contributing to a strong showing for the German team, which had also swept the podium at the previous year’s championship in Winterberg.

Impressive Performances

Twice an Olympic gold medalist, Friedrich from BSC Sachsen Oberbärenburg started with the number one draw and set the fastest time right away, narrowly missing the 22-year-old track record of 54.61 seconds set by Canadian Pierre Lueders by just three hundredths of a second. Lochner, the only pilot to have claimed the World Championship gold from Friedrich in the past eleven years, faced significant challenges during his run, particularly in a chicane, which caused him to fall behind by a tenth of a second.

Ammour’s Strong Start

Ammour from BRC Thüringen delivered a noteworthy performance with the fastest start time of 5.12 seconds, although he couldn’t achieve the top speed that Friedrich did with his identical FES sled.

Second Run Developments

During the second run, which took place amid snowfall on the complex and challenging Mount van Hoevenberg track—known for having the highest number of curves in the world at 20—Lochner and Fleischhauer posted the best start time of 5.05 seconds and improved their overall performance. “The first run wasn’t entirely clean, but we made significant improvements in the second run,” Lochner remarked.

However, Friedrich seemed to have the upper hand with his equipment, extending his lead with the second-best time of the day. “We had two good runs, but none were perfect. A 14 hundredths advantage is not a large cushion,” Friedrich acknowledged.