OLYMPICS: Bobsleigh-Lochner leads another German sweep of Two-Man

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy – Germany continued its dominance in Olympic bobsleigh on Tuesday, sweeping the medals in the Two-Man event for the second consecutive Games. This time, Johannes Lochner, who won two silvers in Beijing, claimed gold, while perennial champion Francesco Friedrich finished second.

Lochner, paired with brakeman Georg Fleischhauer, led from start to finish, recording the fastest time in every run. They finished a remarkable 1.34 seconds ahead of Friedrich and his brakeman Alexander Schuller. The bronze medal went to fellow Germans Adam Ammour and Alexander Schaller. Beijing marked the first-ever country sweep in any bobsleigh event, and Germany has now repeated the feat in the same discipline.

Lochner has been a standout performer all season, winning six of the seven World Cup Two-Man races. He carried that momentum into the Olympics, establishing a 0.8-second lead over Friedrich after the first half of the event on Monday.

Tuesday brought the coldest night of the Games so far, with challenging ice conditions in the upper sections of the track. Lochner’s initial run of 54.89 seconds seemed modest, but Friedrich struggled with early skids and posted 55.01, giving Lochner an even larger advantage going into the final run. He extended his lead to finish with an astonishing 1.34-second margin in a sport often decided by hundredths of a second.

“There’s nothing better than when a plan works out. I’m so happy, I can’t describe this,” Lochner said. “It has been a long time being second behind Francesco, and now we’re finally in front of him in the highest competition in the world. This is one of the most amazing tracks, and it fits perfectly with my steering. I feel at home here.”

Friedrich, who finished just half a second ahead of Ammour, entered the Games tied with fellow pilot Andre Lange and brakeman Kevin Kuske on four gold medals. With this silver, he still trails Kuske in the all-time bobsleigh rankings. Friedrich will have another opportunity to climb the leaderboard in the Four-Man event, with training scheduled to begin Wednesday morning.

American duo Frankie Del Duca and Josh Williamson finished fourth, while Romania’s Mihai Cristian Tentea and George Iordache impressed with a surprise fifth-place finish.

Germany won all three team bobsleigh golds in Beijing, missing only the Monobob, which once again went to the United States. They are now favorites to complete another team sweep in the remaining events, including the Four-Man and Two-Woman competitions, providing a timely boost after a few disappointments in other Olympic disciplines.

-Reporting by Mitch Phillips; Editing by Christian Radnedge/Reuters