Bobsleigh pilot Patrick Baumgartner at the Olympic Games in Cortina. © FELICE CALABRO' / Felice Calabro'

Patrick Baumgartner pushes forward

Patrick Baumgartner high-fives his brakeman Robert Mircea at the finish line: The Pusterer has made a leap forward in the two-man bobsleigh final at the Olympic Games in Cortina.

February 17, 2026

From: dl

At the halfway point, Baumgartner was in ninth place. On Tuesday, the bobsled pilot from Issing/Pfalzen then gained two places in the third run – and he maintained this seventh place until the end. Although his two runs on Tuesday were not flawless, Baumgartner seemed satisfied. The Puster Valley native had said the day before: "We're looking to give our best and build confidence for the four-man bobsled."

As expected, Baumgartner played no role in the medal fight in the two-man bobsleigh. The South Tyrolean is Italy's undisputed number one in bobsleigh. Baumgartner finished fourth three times in the World Cup this year and made it onto the podium as third. In the four-man bobsleigh, he will start with his tried-and-tested team of Eric Fantazzini, Robert Mircea, and Lorenzo Bilotti – and he certainly fancies his chances there.

Patrick Baumgartner in the two-man bobsleigh in Cortina. © ANSA / ANDREA SOLERO

As expected, there was a German sweep of the top spots – just like four years ago in Beijing: Johannes Lochner, together with his brakeman Georg Fleischauer, won convincingly in his final two-man bobsleigh race, ahead of his two compatriots Francesco Friedrich and Adam Ammour. The four-man bobsleigh is scheduled for the weekend. The first two runs will take place on Saturday, and the finals on Sunday.

Final standings in the two-man bobsleigh after four runs