Francesco Friedrich’s winning streak in bobsleigh ended as he placed third behind teammate Johannes Lochner, who celebrated his first victory of the season in Latvia. Lochner’s team clocked a winning time of 1:39.24 minutes, edging out British competitors. Adam Ammour struggled with crashes, withdrawing from the second race. In women’s two-man bobsleigh, Laura Nolte triumphed, outperforming competitors despite challenging conditions, while Lisa Buckwitz finished fourth after recovering from a tough start.
Francesco Friedrich’s Winning Streak Comes to an End
The impressive winning streak of bobsleigh athlete Francesco Friedrich has finally been halted. During the fourth race of the season, Friedrich faced defeat at the hands of his teammate Johannes Lochner. Meanwhile, the third German sled piloted by Adam Ammour suffered yet another crash, marking the third consecutive race with similar misfortune. However, it was a day of triumph for Germany in the women’s two-man bobsleigh, where Laura Nolte clinched victory, bouncing back after finishing second in the monobob event.
Johannes Lochner Celebrates His First Win of the Season
Johannes Lochner achieved his first victory of the season, managing to push the bobsleigh powerhouse Francesco Friedrich down to third place. Competing in the two-man bobsleigh category on Sunday, December 15, 2024, in Sigulda, Latvia, Lochner, alongside pusher Jörn Wenzel, delivered a stellar performance. In just his second World Cup race, Wenzel clocked the fastest time in both runs, leading the team to a winning time of 1:39.24 minutes. They finished ahead of the British duo Bradley Hall and Taylor Lawrence, who came in second (+0.21 seconds), with Friedrich trailing closely behind (+0.30 seconds).
Post-race, Lochner expressed his relief and positivity, stating, “We can still do it. Not that I’m starting to doubt.” He acknowledged the importance of maintaining strong start times to secure victories, emphasizing that the competition is fierce and one cannot rely on mistakes from others.
Friedrich, competing with his seasoned partner Alexander Schüller instead of his new pusher Simon Wulff, struggled to find his rhythm, ending up with the third-best times in both runs. Despite holding the start record in Sigulda, he could not secure his fourth victory of the season.
Reflecting on his performance, Friedrich admitted, “We would have liked to perform better, but the others were better.” He noted specific challenges he faced, particularly in curves eleven to thirteen, where he had a near-fall situation that almost derailed his run.
Adam Ammour faced a particularly challenging weekend as he crashed once again, having already experienced two crashes the previous day. Despite initially posting the best start time with pusher Benedikt Hertel, he was unable to complete the run after losing control in the notoriously difficult curve 13/14. Following this incident, the 23-year-old decided to withdraw from the second race on Sunday.
National coach René Spies addressed Ammour’s struggles, stating, “We took him out in consultation with him. It was crucial since he lacked a strategy for navigating the passage.”
Laura Nolte Shines in Women’s Two-Man Bobsleigh
In the women’s two-man bobsleigh event earlier that day, Laura Nolte also made her mark, winning the third race of the season. Partnered with pusher Leonie Kluwig, Nolte outperformed her German rival Kim Kalicki as well as Neele Schuten, who finished second, and the American duo Kaysha Love and Jasamine Jones in third place.
Nolte, competing for the first time with Kluwig, praised their performance, saying, “We had top start times. I’m very satisfied with that.” She highlighted Kluwig’s exceptional performance, stating, “Leo did so well. The conditions were not easy; the starting track was completely snowed in.”
Lisa Buckwitz, who previously won in the monobob event, faced a challenging start in the first run with a fourth-place finish. However, she managed to improve her position, ultimately finishing fourth. Buckwitz expressed her satisfaction with her start times despite the initial setback, commenting, “Fourth is ungrateful, but we fought our way back.”