Bob dominator continues to win: unbeatable Friedrich continues to shake his head

Bob Dominator keeps winning
Unbeatable Friedrich continues to shake his head

If the competition had hoped that bobsleigh dominator Francesco Friedrich could be attacked in the post-Olympic season, then the start of the season was disappointing: the double Olympic champion just kept winning.

Even the double Olympic victory has not made Francesco Friedrich sluggish. The dominator of the international ice track continued where he left off at the Olympic Winter Games in Beijing in February at the World Cup opener for bobsledders in Whistler, Canada: with victories in the twos and fours. The already sparsely gathered competition, including colleagues from their own association, could once again only congratulate them appreciatively, but shook their heads. Perfectionist Friedrich is still in his own league and can probably only beat himself.

At least on the Olympic track in Whistler, he didn’t do his competitors any favours, even if everything didn’t go the way the Saxon had imagined. Especially in the double he had a few difficulties with the brakeman Alexander Schüller in the first round. In the foursome, however, the Olympic champion crew with Thorsten Margis, Candy Bauer and Schüller outclassed the opposition. National coach René Spies had not expected otherwise. If a round can be expanded, there will be a reaction right at the start.

“And then, in the post-Olympic winter, Franz will once again do a magic trick to winning victories,” praised the trainer. As always, Friedrich remained reserved and looked at what did not fit. His gold pusher Margis was different: “I’m quite satisfied with the start times and distances for the start. It was a very nice second run, Franz did it very well. So everything fits,” said Margis.

moments of shock in training

Spies could also be happy about other crews. Johannes Lochner from Königssee came third in the double despite an injury to his thoracic spine – his first podium in Whistler. Kim Kalicki also won the doubles on her first start on the fast but dangerous 2010 Olympic track.

There were a few moments of shock there. Almost all German bobsleighers fell in training, and in the women’s monobob, Laura Nolte, who was in the lead, also fell. And Christoph Hafer wasn’t even able to compete in the second round of four. After a brake failure, his sled shot through all the barriers at the finish of the first run and was so damaged that it could not be repaired in time. “There’s always something going on in Whistler,” said the national coach.

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