Patrick Baumgartner is on track for the World Cup

South Tyrol's bobsleigh ace Patrick Baumgartner is in action at the World Championships in Winterberg this weekend. After two out of four rounds, three teams from the host country set the tone.

24. February 2024

From: fop/dpa

Just in time for the World Championships, Francesco Friedrich has also returned to his former flagship discipline of two-man bobsleigh. The 33-year-old veteran from East Germany leads at halftime of the title fights in Winterberg with a lead of 0,22 seconds over the German brother duo Adam and Issam Ammour and is on the verge of his eighth world title in the small sled. In total, the record world champion would then have 13 World Championship victories with the four gold medals in the four-man bobsleigh and the two team titles.

Defending champion Johannes Lochner (also from Germany), who had dominated in Altenberg until his serious fall in four-man bobsleigh training, is in third place at the halfway point of the World Cup.

The two-time double Olympic champion Friedrich, who did not win a World Cup victory in the small sled this winter despite constant podium finishes, immediately improved his own track record with start number one to 54,67 seconds and then increased it again to 54,54 seconds. He was also best at the start with Alexander Schüller as the pusher. With 5,06 seconds each, the Saxon provided the best initial speed on the so-called starter track in Hochsauerland. Even European champion Adam Ammour, who was able to defeat Friedrich on his home track in Altenberg, couldn't keep up.

Italy's bobsleigh hope, Patrick Baumgartner, is in eighth position at halftime with his pusher Robert Mircea. After the first run they were in ninth place, but then moved up one place with the seventh-best running time. The two Azzurri are 88 hundredths away from the medal positions before the final on Sunday.