Nico Walther and world champion Francesco Friedrich gave the German four-man bobsleigh their first one-two win of the season at the start of the Olympic year. On Sunday at the home track in Altenberg, Saxony, the third World Cup winner Walther won by five hundredths of a second ahead of Friedrich. The Latvian Oskar Kibermanis finished third.
The race of the supreme discipline was the only German victory in Saxony: On Saturday, men and women had been beaten surprisingly by the Canadians in the two-man race.
“Both runs were not perfect, but I’m very happy,”said Walther on ARD. Friedrich, too, saw himself prepared for the coming weeks after the race, which was made more difficult by the thick fog:”It is important for the head to insist on such a tough track under these conditions”.
Five weeks before the Winter Games in Pyeongchang, the four-man team not only delivered good news: Johannes Lochner, the second German World Champion in the big sled, had a tough time and was only fifth in his special discipline.
However, the overall result is still impressive: In six four-man bobsleigh races in the Olympic winter so far, the victory went to Germany five times. Walther won twice, Lochner was successful three times.
For the games in South Korea, they are among the top favourites in an extremely narrow field. In the pair, however, the road to the German Olympic victory seems to be much steeper than expected. Promising figure Friedrich heard the next warning shot on Saturday.
The series world champion came second behind Canadian Justin Kripps, a disappointment for Friedrich on his home track. Walther first drove to a good third place, but was disqualified because of a faulty hood. Lochner also disappointed on Saturday and finished sixth.
In the women’s event, Anna Köhler celebrated her third surprise premiere on the World Cup podium. She was only defeated by Olympic champion Kaillie Humphries and second-placed Jamie Greubel Poser. Mariama Jamanka finished fifth, Stephanie Schneider fell heavily in the first run but remained unharmed.