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Double gold in Pyeongchang, double gold in Beijing.
Francesco Friedrich won everything Olympics had to offer again.
The world’s best bobsledder finished the world’s dominant Olympics by winning the four-man race at the Beijing Games on Sunday. He won the two- and four-man competition at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games and then repeated his success in Beijing – the first double-double in the history of the Bobsleigh Olympics.
Friedrich and his team of Thorsten Margis, Candy Bauer and Alexander Schuler finished their four races in 3 minutes 54.30 seconds. Germany also took second place: Johannes Lochner – the leader in the first run – and his team of Florian Bauer, Christopher Weber and Christian Rasp surpassed the line in 3: 54.67.
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Francesco Friedrich, Thorsten Margis, Candy Bauer and Alexander Schuler of Germany celebrate winning a gold medal in the top four at the 2022 Winter Olympics on Sunday, February 20, 2022, in the Yanting district of Beijing.
(AP Photo / Mark Schiefelbein)
“It’s a great feeling,” said Friedrich.
Bronze went to Canada, pilot Justin Cripps and his team of Ryan Somer, Cam Stones and Benjamin Coquwell finished 3-55.09. It was Cripps ’second Olympic medal after Frederick won gold in the doubles at the PyeongChang Games.
“It’s amazing,” Cripps said. – We could not be happier.
Returning to the PyeongChang Olympics, Friedrich has won 60 of the last 73 international races – the Olympics, World Cups and World Championships – and won medals in 69 of them. He is a seven-time reigning world champion in the doubles, a four-time reigning world champion in the foursome, a five-time world champion in two overall events and a four-time world champion in four overall events.
And now he is only the second four-time pilot to win gold medals at the Olympics, joining one of the Germans Andre Lange at the club. When Lange was at his peak, he was the best driver in the world.
Now this torch is undoubtedly handed over to Friedrich.
“We did everything we could to get here again,” said Friedrich. “In these four years we have done an amazing job … without all the guys it is impossible to reach such a moment.”
Cripps thwarted what could be the second German attempt at the Bobsleigh Olympics – after no country before the Beijing Games ever won all three medals in the bobsleigh race, until Germany did so in a two-man race that ended in last week. Christoph Hafer finished fourth in the Germans, just 0.06 seconds behind Cripps.
Even without another 1-2-3 swing the final figures still dominated. The Germans themselves beat the world.
Bobsleigh: Germany won three gold and seven medals, while the rest of the world won one gold – Kaylee Humphries’ victory in the monobobe for the United States – and a total of five medals.
Skeleton: Germany won both gold medals and three medals; the rest of the world together did not win gold and three medals.
Tobogganing competitions: Germany won all four gold and six medals overall; the rest of the world together did not win gold and six medals.
Final figures: nine gold and 16 medals in Germany, one gold and 14 medals for everyone else.
“We look drunk, but not drunk,” said Laura Nolte, a gold medalist in women’s bobsleigh. – We are just drunk with happiness.
Even without medals, the Hunter Church was like that.
The American closed his first Olympics, finishing 10th in the top four, his favorite competition. He and his team of Josh Williamson, Chris Horn and Charlie Walker had a recent 3: 57.06, rising from 13th place a day to 11th after the third run and then another place in the final.
“These guys were incredible,” Church said. “It’s very nice to be told, ‘Hey, we’re back and we’re in the top 10,’ and the fact that we can achieve that goal means a lot.”
The United States believes it now has some momentum for a new Olympic cycle. And it is possible that Church can keep all his sleighs together, which is a rarity for Americans in recent years.
“I feel that the US men’s program will be in a completely different position in four years,” Church said. – It’s exciting.
Frank DelDuca, who also finished his first Olympics as a pilot, finished 13th with a score of 3: 57.65 with Carlo Valdes, Jimmy Reed and Hakim Abdul-Sabur.
It was the 22nd and last international race of the season for DelDuca. He started in the North American Cup of Champions, competed in 16 races from November 7 to December 20 and won medals in each race – seven gold, seven silver and two bronze.
This brought him a promotion to the World Cup after the Christmas breaks, and it was his last springboard on the way to the Olympic team.
“We dug deep and gave him everything we had,” DelDuca said.
These were the last launches for Valdez and Reed, both of whom are retiring.
“After eight years, I put everything I had into this sport,” Reed said. “A lot of ups and downs. It was a great last race to end my career.”
