LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — Germany’s Francesco Friedrich is charting the course for yet another potential world bobsled title. The start of the four-man world championship race on Friday at Mount Van Hoevenberg presented an unexpected twist.
The second heat of the intended four-heat race was surprisingly canceled, despite being completed, due to rapidly deteriorating track conditions worsened by increasing air temperatures, as reported by the International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation.
The abrupt decision was influenced by the experience of Germany’s Johannes Lochner, whose sled’s runner was damaged after encountering several bare spots on the course. Additionally, the sled’s front sustained damage unrelated to the track conditions, occurring right at the start. The German team successfully appealed, granting Lochner a chance to redo his second run. However, considering the warmer temperatures, the jury deemed it impossible for the re-run to yield a fair outcome, resulting in the entire second heat being nullified.
“The competition will resume Saturday as planned with heats 3 and 4,” the IBSF clarified, highlighting the influence of weather conditions.
Temperatures started at about 25 degrees Fahrenheit (-4 degrees Celsius) during the beginning of the event and reached around 48 degrees (8 degrees Celsius) as the four-man event concluded. Saturday’s forecast predicts even warmer conditions. Friedrich, boasting a remarkable history including 15 world championships, five Olympic golds, and leading with a one-run time of 54.23 seconds, was positioned to lead regardless. Lochner followed second at 54.52 seconds, with Britain’s Brad Hall closely trailing at 54.54 seconds.
Had the second run been counted, standings would have shifted, placing Hall in second, Germany’s Adam Ammour third, followed by the U.S.’s Frank Del Duca, Kris Horn, and Lochner. Officially, the leaderboard includes Friedrich, Lochner, and Hall in leading positions, then Ammour, Del Duca, and a tie between Horn and South Korea’s Jinsu Kim for sixth.
“We’ve prepared. We’re ready. It’s just time to make consistent runs,” stated Del Duca.
Resuming Saturday, the four-man race is scheduled for 8 a.m., with the concluding two heats of the women’s bobsled taking the early afternoon slot.
As for the women’s bobsled championship, the Day 1 leaderboard reflects Germany’s domination: the top three spots are filled by German teams, followed by U.S. teams. Laura Nolte and Deborah Levi secured a leading time of 1 minute and 52.77 seconds, a 0.23-second advantage over fellow Germans Kim Kalicki and Leonie Fiebig. Lisa Buckwitz and Kira Lipperheide completed Germany’s powerful trifecta, trailing by another two-tenths of a second.
Germany aims to replicate last year’s triumph, having swept all medals in the two-woman category previously. Last year’s victor, Buckwitz, led Nolte and Kalicki to the podium. American representation was led by World Monobob champion Kaysha Love and Jazmine Jones, situating them in fourth at 1:53.53. U.S. teams driven by Kaillie Humphries with Emily Renna and Elana Meyers Taylor with Lolo Jones occupy fifth and sixth positions respectively, all harboring potential medal aspirations for Saturday.
“Push hard. Drive fast,” Humphries emphasized. “That’s always the strategy.”
