Bobsleigh record world champion Francesco Friedrich has retrospectively lost his overall World Cup victory to Johannes Lochner. The reason for this is the positive doping test of Friedrich’s pusher Simon Wulff.
Bobsleigh record world champion Francesco Friedrich has retrospectively lost his two-man overall World Cup victory from last season to his long-time rival Johannes Lochner.
Due to the positive doping test of Friedrich’s pusher Simon Wulff at the season opener in Altenberg, the team was subsequently disqualified for this race, and the points won there were withdrawn. A corresponding document from the world governing body IBSF is available to SID, with ZDF having first reported on it.
For Lochner, this is his second two-man overall World Cup title, and it would also be his first in the combined standings of two-man and four-man, although official confirmation of this was initially pending.
Due to the disqualification in Altenberg, Friedrich has dropped to third place in the two-man overall standings. He remains with six titles in the two-man overall World Cup. The prize money will also be reassigned.
Pusher Wulff was banned for 21 months in early September, after the prohibited substance methylhexaneamine was detected in a sample from the former athlete from early December 2024. The ban is effective retroactively from the day of the sample collection, meaning Wulff is eligible to compete again from September 7, 2026.