Photo Credit: AP
Double gold in Pyeongchang, double gold in Beijing.
Francesco Friedrich won everything the Olympics had to offer once again.
The world’s best bobsledder finished off a dominating Olympics by the world’s sliding superpower, winning the four-man race at the Beijing Games on Sunday. He won the two- and four-man events at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, then repeated the feat in Beijing -- the first double-double in Olympic bobsled history.
Friedrich and his team of Thorsten Margis, Candy Bauer and Alexander Schueller finished their four runs in 3 minutes, 54.30 seconds. Germany also grabbed second, with Johannes Lochner — the first-run leader — and his team of Florian Bauer, Christopher Weber and Christian Rasp crossing the line in 3:54.67.
“A great feeling,” Friedrich said.
The bronze went to Canada, driver Justin Kripps and his team of Ryan Sommer, Cam Stones and Benjamin Coakwell finishing in 3:55.09. It was Kripps’ second Olympic medal, after tying Friedrich for the two-man gold at the Pyeongchang Games.
“Amazing,” Kripps said. “We couldn’t be happier.”
Going back to the Pyeongchang Olympics, Friedrich has now won 60 of his last 73 international races — meaning Olympics, World Cups and world championships — and medaled in 69 of them. He’s the seven-time defending world champion in two-man, the four-time defending world champion in four-man, a five-time World Cup two-man overall champion and four-time World Cup four-man overall champion.
And now, he’s just the second four-time Olympic gold-medal-winning pilot, joining only fellow German Andre Lange in that club. When Lange was at his peak, he was the consensus best driver in the world.
That torch has unquestionably been passed to Friedrich now.
“We did it all to get here again,” Friedrich said. “We did an amazing job these four years ... without all the guys, it’s not possible to achieve such a moment.”
Kripps thwarted what could have been the second German bobsled sweep of the Olympics — after no nation, before the Beijing Games, had ever grabbed all three medals in a bobsled race until Germany did it in the two-man race that ended last week. Christoph Hafer drove to fourth for the Germans, just 0.06 seconds behind Kripps.
Even without another 1-2-3 sweep, the final numbers were still dominant. The Germans beat the world by themselves.
Bobsled: Germany won three golds and seven medals, while the rest of the world grabbed one gold — Kaillie Humphries’ win in monobob for the United States — and a total of five medals.
Skeleton: Germany won both golds and three medals in all; the rest of the world combined for no golds and three medals.
Luge: Germany won all four golds and six medals overall; the rest of the world combined for no golds and six medals.
“Amazing,” Kripps said. “We couldn’t be happier.”
Going back to the Pyeongchang Olympics, Friedrich has now won 60 of his last 73 international races — meaning Olympics, World Cups and world championships — and medaled in 69 of them. He’s the seven-time defending world champion in two-man, the four-time defending world champion in four-man, a five-time World Cup two-man overall champion and four-time World Cup four-man overall champion.
And now, he’s just the second four-time Olympic gold-medal-winning pilot, joining only fellow German Andre Lange in that club. When Lange was at his peak, he was the consensus best driver in the world.
That torch has unquestionably been passed to Friedrich now.
“We did it all to get here again,” Friedrich said. “We did an amazing job these four years ... without all the guys, it’s not possible to achieve such a moment.”
Kripps thwarted what could have been the second German bobsled sweep of the Olympics — after no nation, before the Beijing Games, had ever grabbed all three medals in a bobsled race until Germany did it in the two-man race that ended last week. Christoph Hafer drove to fourth for the Germans, just 0.06 seconds behind Kripps.
Even without another 1-2-3 sweep, the final numbers were still dominant. The Germans beat the world by themselves.
Bobsled: Germany won three golds and seven medals, while the rest of the world grabbed one gold — Kaillie Humphries’ win in monobob for the United States — and a total of five medals.
Skeleton: Germany won both golds and three medals in all; the rest of the world combined for no golds and three medals.
Luge: Germany won all four golds and six medals overall; the rest of the world combined for no golds and six medals.
