02/16/26 07:12:00
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02/16 07:10 CST Germany's Johannes Lochner starts fast in Olympic 2-man bobsled
race. Del Duca in medal hunt for US
Germany's Johannes Lochner starts fast in Olympic 2-man bobsled race. Del Duca
in medal hunt for US
By TIM REYNOLDS
AP Sports Writer
CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) --- The two-man bobsled competition at the Milan
Cortina Olympics is four runs over two days, the same format the event has used
for nearly a century.
Germany's Johannes Lochner might have ended this year's event in exactly 54.68
seconds.
That was Lochner's time in the first run Monday, giving him a lead that only
got bigger --- much bigger --- as the day went along. Lochner and brakeman
Georg Fleischhauer finished their two runs in 1 minute, 49.90 seconds, and
nothing short of a disaster on their end should keep them from winning gold in
the final two runs on Tuesday night.
"Such a big lead," Flesichhauer said. "We didn't really expect that."
Their margin at the midway point is 0.80 seconds. Here's some historical
perspective of how absolutely one-sided that is: If you add up the halftime
leads in the last nine Olympic two-man races, combined, it comes out to 0.58
seconds. And the average halftime lead since 1964 --- just 0.25 seconds.
This is a bobsled blowout.
"He might be perfect," U.S. pilot and medal contender Frank Del Duca said.
It's Germany-Germany-Germany in the top three spots, though Del Duca is right
there, just one-tenth of a second from the bronze medal position.
Reigning world and Olympic two-man champion Francesco Friedrich, who has been
looking up at Lochner all season in the World Cup rankings, finished two runs
in 1:50.70 seconds. He's the only one within a second of Lochner; Germany's
Adam Ammour is third in 1:51.14, with Del Duca and Josh Williamson fourth in
1:51.24.
Friedrich is at the Milan Cortina Games trying to become the first five-time
gold medalist in Olympic bobsled history, after sweeping the two- and four-man
races at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games and the 2022 Beijing Games.
"We have to give all what we can do," said Friedrich, widely considered the
best bobsledder ever. "We want to make the best push times, the best drives
tomorrow. ... The race is over when four runs are in the finish."
Technically, that's true.
In reality, though, it might be over. The race might really be for third
between Ammour and Del Duca.
"Frankie Del Duca is right behind us," Ammour said. "So, yeah, there's no room
for error tomorrow."
Del Duca is bidding to be the first U.S. medalist in two-man since Steven
Holcomb and Steven Langton grabbed silver at the 2014 Sochi Games.
"I left quite a bit of time out there," Del Duca said. "I mean, as drivers, we
always do. I don't know if someone can really walk away and say it was a
perfect run. I haven't seen Lochner's runs. ... But for us to be this close,
it's really just a testament to our whole system, our people behind us, how
hard everybody's been working."
Del Duca, one of the two U.S. flagbearers entering the Olympics, is driving the
only two-man sled the Americans have in the competition, after officials would
not let pilot Kris Horn compete because he finished four --- one shy of the
minimum --- out of seven World Cup races this winter.
Horn will race in the four-man event later this week.
Lochner is in what he says is his final season and won the World Cup two- and
four-man overall titles this winter. He won medals in all 14 World Cup races
--- nine gold and five silver, never finishing worse than second. And in
two-man, he was especially dominant with six wins in seven races.
He will not reconsider retirement, he said.
"I have a wife and child waiting for me at home," Lochner said.
A trip to the top of the Olympic medal podium seems to be waiting for him as
well.
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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
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