Lochner on Course for Bob Gold: Friedrich Falters, Ammour in Medal Contention

Bob pilot Johannes Lochner is well-positioned to complete a perfect season with an Olympic victory in the four-man bob. After two of four heats, the 35-year-old leads the competition, while rival Francesco Friedrich has fallen behind. Adam Ammour, piloting the third German bob, is also in contention for a medal.

Lochner Dominates Early Heats

Johannes Lochner, with Thorsten Margis, Jörn Wenzel, and Georg Fleischhauer, set both a start record (4.73 seconds) and a track record (53.91 seconds) in the first heat. Reaching a top speed of 137.82 km/h at the Cortina Sliding Centre, the Bavarian built on his success in the two-man bob, where a German sweep occurred.

Lochner: “Ganz okay”

“The first run was good, the second not so much. I still feel the result after the first day is quite okay,” Lochner shared with Sportschau. “We wanted to immediately set another track record like in the two-man. We succeeded in that, but in the second run, there were some mistakes, as with almost everyone. It’s incredibly difficult here to gain the four-man through curves one, and two. If that doesn’t work, two or three tenths are gone. The line is good, and tomorrow we’ll attack again.”

Margis Eyes Fifth Olympic Gold

Lochner’s brakeman, Margis, is aiming for his fifth gold medal. The 36-year-old was a long-time brakeman for Friedrich before switching to Lochner’s team for this Olympic season.

Friedrich Faces Uphill Battle

Francesco Friedrich, with Alexander Schüller, Matthias Sommer, and Felix Straub, matched Lochner’s start time in the first run (4.73 seconds). However, the previous Olympic champion struggled with errors, particularly in curve four, losing valuable time. He trailed Lochner by 0.39 seconds after the first heat.

Friedrich set another start record (4.71 seconds) in the second run, but his overall performance remained inconsistent, falling behind Lochner and Adam Ammour.

Ammour Improves to Third

The third German bob, piloted by Adam Ammour, Issam Ammour, Joshua Tasche, and Alexander Schaller, initially lagged in fifth place after the first run (54.51 seconds). They improved to third in the second run with a time of 54.69 seconds, the fastest of the heat.

Crashes Mar Second Run

The second run was marred by crashes involving Austrian Jakob Mandlbauer, who was transported to the hospital with neck pain, and later, Romain Heinrich of France and Axel Brown of Trinidad and Tobago. All athletes were able to exit the bob independently.

Medal Decisions Sunday

The medal events will be decided on Sunday, February 22, 2026. The third heat, run in reverse order of placement, begins at 10:00 AM. The final, decisive fourth heat starts at 12:15 PM.

Pro Tip: Track conditions can change rapidly in bobsleigh. Teams must be adaptable and make adjustments between runs to maintain their speed and accuracy.

Stay tuned for updates as the four-man bob competition concludes!