Record man Francesco Friedrich was extremely fast in Innsbruck-Igls, but it wasn’t enough to win again because everything is going like clockwork for rival Johannes Lochner.
Too dangerous, too risky: A lot had been said and written in advance about the high risk of injury on the converted traditional railway in Innsbruck-Igls. The bobsleigh pilots tamed the wild ice track and reached the finish line unscathed at the second World Cup this season on Saturday (November 29th).
Triple victory for Germany
The fastest was once again Johannes Lochner, who set the next exclamation mark in the Olympic winter and gave bobsleigh king Francesco Friedrich his second defeat of the season in the small sled. The series winner from BSC Sachsen Oberbärenburg – including 16 world championship titles – was 0.05 seconds slower than his long-term rival after two runs and, like last weekend, ended up in second place on the Olympic track in Cortina d’Ampezzo. Adam Ammour (Eintracht Frankfurt) completed the German triple victory with pusher Tim Becker (MSC Magdeburg).
Friedrich from the hunted to the hunter
The German bobsleighs are right back in the lead – and the constant duel between Friedrich and Lochner goes into the next round. However, the tide has turned. Friedrich has gone from being hunted to being a hunter. After the race in Innsbruck, the record champion was optimistic. “There are a lot of little things, we’re still testing back and forth. The ride was pretty good,” summarized Friedrich, who was pushed by Alexander Schaller this time, in the Sportschau interview.
For Lochner it was the third victory in the third race. Things couldn’t have gone better for the Swabian in his farewell season. Lochner set the best time in both runs and countered strongly in the second run. Friedrich had set a new track record of 52.46 seconds, Friedrich was another 0.02 seconds faster.
Four-way decision on Sunday
The duel Lochner vs. Friedrich goes into the next round on Sunday in the four-man bobsleigh (1 p.m. in the live stream).
Skeleton World Cup cancelled
The skeleton pilots had to take a forced break. A majority of athletes voted earlier this week to cancel the men’s, women’s and mixed team races. It was too hot for the Skeletonis. They only had four training runs – not enough for their taste to master the challenging track.
At the start of the season, the World Cup opener for the luge elite planned in Innsbruck-Igls was canceled due to safety concerns. A lot of money has been invested in the last two years to make the traditional railway more modern. After a failed test drive, the track was not approved for tobogganers. The fact that it is too dangerous and impossible for tobogganers and skeletonis to control is a catastrophe for Austrian winter sports.