CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Germany’s Johannes Lochner has positioned himself as the commanding frontrunner after the initial two heats of the four-man bobsled competition at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. Lochner and his crew—Thorsten Margis, Jorn Wenzel, and Georg Fleischhauer—completed their Saturday runs with a combined time of 1:48.61, establishing a substantial 0.43-second advantage over compatriot Francesco Friedrich, the reigning four-time Olympic champion.
Lochner acknowledged some technical difficulties during their second descent but expressed overall satisfaction with their performance. ‘The first run was exceptional,’ Lochner commented. ‘We encountered challenges during the second run, particularly at the start and through the mid-section. Nevertheless, we’re pleased with our current standing.’
Germany currently occupies all three podium positions at the competition’s midpoint, with Adam Ammour sitting in third position, 0.59 seconds behind Lochner. Ammour’s impressive second-heat performance, which registered as the fastest time of that round, prevented Lochner from maintaining his perfect record at the Cortina track.
For Team USA, Kris Horn made his Olympic debut after missing the two-man competition due to insufficient World Cup qualifications. Horn and his team of Caleb Furnell, Hunter Powell, and Carsten Vissering currently hold ninth position, precisely one second behind the leader but within striking distance of medal contention. ‘We had an extended break,’ Horn noted. ‘I was concerned about maintaining my driving form.’
American flagbearer Frank Del Duca, who started from the disadvantageous 27th position, sits in 12th place with his team. Del Duca described the challenges of competing on deteriorated ice conditions: ‘The ice maintenance crew performs exceptionally, but with sleds weighing approximately 1,400 pounds generating over 4 Gs of force at 85 mph, the surface becomes significantly altered.’
The competition witnessed concerning developments during the second heat when Austrian pilot Jakob Mandlbauer lost control of his sled, resulting in a crash that required medical evacuation. Austrian officials confirmed Mandlbauer maintained movement in his extremities while he underwent hospital evaluation. Additional crashes involved teams from France and Trinidad and Tobago, eliminating them from Sunday’s final heats.
The medal-deciding runs scheduled for Sunday will determine whether Lochner can join the exclusive group of six pilots who have achieved Olympic gold in both two-man and four-man bobsled events during the same Games.