Francesco Friedrich is aiming for his seventh World Cup title in the big sled – and is on track.
Record world champion Francesco Friedrich is on a gold course at the Bob World Cup in Lake Placid after a chaotic race day in the four. The insatiable title hunter from Saxony leads comfortably with 0.29 seconds before his Bavarian permanent rival Johannes Lochner, after the second run was canceled afterwards due to poor rail conditions. The Brad Hall (+0.31) is third. The decision is made on Saturday, then Friedrich is aiming for the successful title defense and his overall seventh World Cup title in the royal dipipline in a row.
After a regular first run, the temperatures in the US state of New York continued to increase, Lochner apparently fell back with a completely messed up second run. However, it turned out that Lochner was “driven by concrete” with melting ice, as Friedrich described it. Friedrich then tried a little later to “avoid” the concrete. After a long consultation, the second run was canceled, which Friedrich described as “just right”. The race on the Olympic railway from 1932 and 1980 is to be continued on Saturday, according to the World Association IBSF “as planned” with two runs.
Run due to heat
Overall World Cup winner Friedrich, who had already won the World Cup title in the two, had shown his entire class with his screwdriver Matthias Sommer, Alexander Schüller and Felix Straub in the first run. Lochner has to make repairs on his bob after a flying object had torn a hole in the bow of his slide in the second run. Adam Ammour from BRC Thuringia is fourth (+0.64) in striking distance to the podium.
The runs three and four in the big sled are to take place on Saturday from 1 p.m. (CEZ). Due to the weather forecast, the races had been brought forward with warmth and rain – but a weather lottery could threaten again on Saturday.
The women start on Friday evening with the first two runs in the two, and the BSD team also has excellent medal opportunities. Less than a year before the Olympic Games in Cortina d’Ampezzo, the World Championships on Mount van Hoevenberg serve as an important location.