Francesco Friedrich claims 25th World Cup victory in 4-man bobsleigh at Winterberg in Germany
BySportsbeat
Updated 08/01/2023 at 19:25 GMT
German success in Winterberg as Friedrich overcomes injury for gold in the 4-man and an all-German podium in the women's 2-man bobsleigh. The German led his team to gold on home soil to secure his third 4-man bobsleigh victory of the season. Friedrich suffered a muscle injury from training in December, relying on his team for a fast start before piloting them to success.
Francesco Friedrich
Image credit: Getty Images
Francesco Friedrich overcame injury to grab his 25th World Cup victory in the 4-man bobsleigh in Winterberg.
The German led his team to gold on home soil to secure his third 4-man bobsleigh victory of the season.
Friedrich suffered a muscle injury from training in December, relying on his team for a fast start before piloting them to success.
Great Britain's Brad Hall led his crew to second, 0.18 seconds behind the Germans after pulling back from a disappointing first run, while Olympic silver medallist Johannes Lochner guided his team to third, 20 seconds back from their fellow countrymen.
"You can only do that with a super team that stands behind you and has your back," said Friedrich.
"When you work hand in hand and get the best out of everything.
"I rate my chances of recovery as very good; we are making a little progress every day."
Olympic champion Laura Nolte saw all her wishes come true as she joined forces with Neele Schuten in the 2-woman event to grab her ninth World Cup victory in Winterberg.
The German pair topped the podium in a time of 1:53.74, the only team to dip below 57 seconds on both runs.
It was an all-German podium as Lisa Buckwitz secured her first ever World Cup medal alongside Kira Lipperheide in second, with Kim Kalicki and Leonie Fiebig finishing third.
A bronze medal cements Kalicki's place on top of the BMW IBSF World Cup overall rankings with 850 points, Nolte just behind on 837.
And with a fresh victory in Germany, Nolte is now counting the days until the World Championships start at the end of January.
She said: "Here in Winterberg, for the time being, no wishes have been left open.
"I am really satisfied and Neele did a great job. We competed together for the first time today.
"The World Championships can come, the form is right."
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