Beijing (AP) – Bob pusher Thorsten Margis leads the remaining German Olympic team at the closing ceremony in Beijing as flag bearer.
The 32-year-old from Halle/Saale is part of pilot Francesco Friedrich’s two-man and four-man bobsleigh. Four-man bobsleigh still has a chance of winning the Olympics at the Winter Games in China on Sunday morning (local time). After the first two runs, Friedrich leads the rankings. Friedrich and Margis had already won the gold medal in two-man bobsleigh in Beijing.
“It’s an unbelievable honor. I’m the first brakeman ever in Germany who’s allowed to touch a flag, whether it’s at the opening or closing ceremony,” said Margis. “It’s crazy. It’s something very special for a brakeman because they fall off the back more often. That’s a really cool thing.”
On Sunday evening (8:00 p.m. local time/1:00 p.m. CET), the three-time Olympic champion and eight-time world champion Margis is to carry the German flag to the Vogelnest Stadium in the Chinese capital. “Thorsten is now a three-time Olympic champion. On the one hand, we wanted to send a signal that someone who is not so often the focus of attention also carries the flag, and on the other hand, we wanted to reward the bobsleigh and sled association for having achieved immense success here,” said DOSB President Thomas Weikert at a press conference.
Speed skater Claudia Pechstein and Friedrich led the German team at the opening ceremony. Numerous athletes have already left after the end of their competitions and are therefore no longer present at the closing ceremony.