Teammate affected
Doping case: Bobsleigh star probably loses overall World Cup
October 16, 2025 – 8:23 a.mReading time: 1 min.
According to a report, Francesco Friedrich has to delete winning the two-man bobsleigh overall World Cup from his resume of success last season. The reason is his pusher Simon Wulff, who tested positive.
The doping case involving pusher Simon Wulff now also has direct sporting consequences for bobsleigh pilot Francesco Friedrich. According to a report by ZDF, the record winner was subsequently stripped of the overall World Cup in the two-man bobsleigh. The reason is a message from the Bobsleigh and Skeleton World Federation IBSF, according to which all of Wulff’s competition results are to be canceled – including medals and prize money. This means that Friedrich’s long-term rival Johannes Lochner moves to first place in the overall ranking, while Friedrich himself falls back to third place.
Last season, Wulff won the World Cup races in Altenberg and Sigulda with Friedrich, among others. The duo also took second place in the four-man bobsleigh in Winterberg. It then became known that the former track and field athlete tested positive for methylhexanamine at the 2024 World Cup opener in Altenberg. This substance is permitted in training but prohibited in competition. Wulff always denied knowingly taking the drug.
The 24-year-old was retroactively banned for 21 months for the violation – until September 2026. This means he will also be out of the Winter Olympics in February 2026 in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Meanwhile, criticism comes from Johannes Lochner. He complained that Friedrich’s team had only been disqualified for the race in Altenberg – although Wulff was also used in Sigulda and Winterberg. However, Lochner believes it is unlikely that these results will also be subsequently deleted.