SP
BravenNow
Johannes Lochner wins Olympic 4-man bobsled gold over Francesco Friedrich
| USA | sports | ✓ Verified - abcnews.com

Johannes Lochner wins Olympic 4-man bobsled gold over Francesco Friedrich

#bobsled #Olympics #Johannes Lochner #Francesco Friedrich #Germany #sliding sports #Cortina d'Ampezzo #Milan-Cortina Games

📌 Key Takeaways

  • Lochner retired with Olympic gold, beating Friedrich by 0.57 seconds
  • Switzerland's Vogt claimed bronze by overtaking Germany's Ammour in final run
  • Germany dominated bobsled with 8 medals and all sliding sports with 19 medals
  • Lochner became the seventh pilot to sweep both men's bobsled events in Olympic history

📖 Full Retelling

Johannes Lochner capped Germany's dominant sliding-sports Olympics by winning the four-man bobsled gold medal over two-time defending champion Francesco Friedrich in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy on February 22, 2026, completing his career retirement on top with his second gold medal of the Games. Lochner, who had announced his retirement months prior, finished with a four-run time of 3 minutes, 37.57 seconds, beating Friedrich by 0.57 seconds in what proved to be the final sliding event of the Milan-Cortina Games. Switzerland's Michael Vogt secured the bronze medal in dramatic fashion, overtaking Germany's Adam Ammour in the fourth and final run to claim third place, while Ammour settled for fourth. The American contingent saw Kris Horn lead the way with an 11th-place finish, accompanied by Caleb Furnell, Hunter Powell and Carsten Vissering, while Frank Del Duca placed 12th with Boone Niederhofer, Bryan Sosoo and Josh Williamson. Germany's complete dominance in bobsled was evident in the final medal tally, which showed Germany with 8 medals, the United States with 3, and Switzerland with 1, while all other countries combined for zero. When extending to all three sliding sports—bobsled, skeleton, and luge—Germany's superiority was even more pronounced, accumulating 19 medals compared to Austria's 5, Italy's 4, and the United States' 4. Lochner's achievement placed him in elite company as the seventh pilot in Olympic history to sweep both men's bobsled events in a single Games, joining legends like Andre Lange and Francesco Friedrich.

🏷️ Themes

Olympic dominance, Career retirement, German sports excellence

📚 Related People & Topics

Germany

Germany

Country in Western and Central Europe

Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Western and Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north with the Alps to the south. Its sixteen constituent states have a total population of over 82 million, making it the most populous member sta...

View Profile → Wikipedia ↗
Olympic Games

Olympic Games

Major international multi-sport event

The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; French: Jeux olympiques) are the world's preeminent international sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports events in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of athletic competitions. The Olympic Games, open to both ...

View Profile → Wikipedia ↗
Francesco Friedrich

Francesco Friedrich

German bobsledder (born 1990)

Francesco Friedrich (born 2 May 1990) is a German bobsledder who has been active since 2006. At the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, he and his brakeman Thorsten Margis tied with Canada's Justin Kripps and Alexander Kopacz for the gold medal in the two-man competition. Friedrich als...

View Profile → Wikipedia ↗
Johannes Lochner

Johannes Lochner

German bobsledder (born 1990)

Johannes Lochner (born 15 October 1990) is a German bobsledder who competed at the 2018 Winter Olympics and the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing where he won two silver medals.

View Profile → Wikipedia ↗

Entity Intersection Graph

Connections for Germany:

🌐 France 2 shared
🌐 Iran 1 shared
🌐 United Kingdom 1 shared
🌐 Olympic medal 1 shared
🌐 2016 Summer Olympics medal table 1 shared
View full profile

Deep Analysis

Why It Matters

Johannes Lochner's victory marks a historic capstone to his career and solidifies Germany's dominance in sliding sports at the Milan Cortina Games. The win also breaks Francesco Friedrich's streak of two consecutive Olympic titles in the four-man bobsled, signaling a shift in the sport's top competitors.

Context & Background

  • Johannes Lochner announced his retirement prior to the Olympics
  • Francesco Friedrich was the two-time defending Olympic champion
  • Germany won a total of 19 medals across sliding sports
  • The event was the final sliding competition of the Games
  • Lochner becomes the seventh pilot to sweep both men's bobsled events

What Happens Next

Lochner retires from competitive bobsledding after achieving a career peak. The international bobsled community will look toward new contenders as Germany's continued dominance sets the stage for future competitions.

Frequently Asked Questions

By how much did Lochner win the gold medal?

Johannes Lochner won by 0.57 seconds over Francesco Friedrich.

How many sliding sports medals did Germany win?

Germany won 19 medals across bobsled, skeleton, and luge at the Milan Cortina Games.

Did the United States win any medals in bobsled?

The United States won 3 medals in bobsled, with the top sled finishing 11th in the four-man event.

Original Source
Johannes Lochner wins Olympic 4-man bobsled gold over Francesco Friedrich Johannes Lochner caps Germany’s dominant sliding-sports Olympics by winning four-man bobsled gold and retiring on top By TIM REYNOLDS AP sports writer February 22, 2026, 7:13 AM CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy -- Johannes Lochner went out on top, and Germany capped another dazzling Olympic display with another dominant bobsled show at the Milan Cortina Games . Lochner — who announced his retirement months ago — capped his career with his second gold medal of these Olympics, winning the four-man event over two-time defending Olympic champion Francesco Friedrich by 0.57 seconds on Sunday in the final sliding event of these Games. But it wasn't a sweep: Switzerland got the bronze, with Michael Vogt overtaking Germany's Adam Ammour in the fourth and final run to secure that third-place spot. Ammour settled for fourth. Lochner's four-run time was 3 minutes, 37.57 seconds. Friedrich finished in 3:38.14, Vogt in 3:38.64 and Ammour in 3:38.68. Kris Horn had the top U.S. sled, finishing 11th with Caleb Furnell, Hunter Powell and Carsten Vissering in his sled. Frank Del Duca was 12th for the U.S., with Boone Niederhofer, Bryan Sosoo and Josh Williamson in his sled. The final bobsled medal tally from bobsled at these Olympics: Germany 8, U.S. 3, Switzerland 1, everyone else in the world 0. And the total from all three sliding sports — adding skeleton and luge — was just as one-sided. Popular Reads Nancy Guthrie live updates: More than 1 suspect not ruled out, sheriff's office says Feb 21, 5:31 PM Trump says he has signed order for new 15% tariff after Supreme Court ruling Feb 21, 4:34 PM Nancy Guthrie case: Person released as search for 'armed individual' continues Feb 10, 11:15 PM Those final numbers: Germany 19, Austria 5, Italy 4, U.S. 4, Britain 2, Switzerland 1 and Latvia 1. If Lochner, Friedrich and Ammour were their own nation, they would have tied for the top spot in the sliding medal standings. They co...
Read full article at source

Source

abcnews.com

More from USA

News from Other Countries

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇺🇦 Ukraine