Cortina d’Ampezzo: Johannes Lochner is the new Olympic champion in two-man bobsleigh after a commanding four-run performance at the Eugenio Monti Olympic Sliding Center.
Teaming up with push athlete Georg Fleischhauer, the German duo clocked a combined winning time of 3:39.70 to finish a massive 1.34 seconds — the equivalent of more than 40 metres on the track — ahead of their nearest rivals. It marked Lochner’s first Olympic gold medal and his third Olympic podium finish after two silvers at Beijing 2022.
Friedrich equals Lange’s pilot record
In second place was two-time defending Olympic champion Francesco Friedrich, who had won back-to-back two-man titles in 2018 and 2022. Alongside push athlete Alexander Schüller, Friedrich settled for silver in Cortina.
With four Olympic gold medals (two-man and four-man in 2018 and 2022) and now a silver, Friedrich equalled the Olympic record for bobsleigh pilots set by compatriot André Lange, who also finished his career with four golds and one silver.
However, the overall Olympic record among bobsleigh athletes remains with former German push athlete Kevin Kuske, who amassed four gold medals and two silvers before retiring in 2018.
Ammour claims bronze on Olympic debut
Completing an all-German podium sweep, Adam Ammour secured bronze with push athlete Alexander Schaller, finishing 1.82 seconds behind Lochner.
The 24-year-old European champion from 2024 made a remarkable impact in his first Olympic appearance, just three years after debuting in the IBSF World Cup circuit.
Strong international challenge behind German trio
Just outside the podium, the United States pair of Frank Del Duca and Joshua Williamson finished fourth.
Romania’s Mihai Tentea and George Iordache were the surprise package of the competition, taking fifth place. Tentea impressed in particular with the third-fastest time in the second run at the Eugenio Monti track.
Switzerland’s Michael Vogt and Amadou Ndiaye placed sixth.
Local hopes rested on Italy’s Patrick Baumgartner and push athlete Robert Mircea, who finished seventh on home ice in Cortina.
Germany’s continued dominance
The result underlined Germany’s enduring supremacy in Olympic sliding sports, producing a clean sweep of the podium in the two-man event. But above all, Milano Cortina 2026 will be remembered as the Games where Johannes Lochner finally stepped out of Friedrich’s shadow and claimed the Olympic crown in emphatic fashion.
Source: Milano Cortina Olympics, IBSF
Discussion about this post