Germany’s Lochner Leads Olympic Bobsleigh; Austrian Mandlbauer Hospitalized with Neck Injury
At the Cortina Sliding Centre, Johannes Lochner led the four-man bobsleigh competition on February 21. His performance was marked by a strong start, despite a serious incident involving the Austrian team.
Austrian Team Incident
The competition was momentarily halted due to a crash involving Austrian pilot Jakob Mandlbauer. He required nearly 20 minutes of medical attention on the ice before being transported to the hospital for neck pain assessment.
Lochner’s Dominating Performance
Once the event resumed, Lochner, alongside his teammate Georg Fleischhauer, demonstrated an impressive strategy. This duo already secured a gold medal in the two-man bobsleigh earlier in the competition. With the addition of experienced athletes Thorsten Margis and Jorn Wenzel, they achieved a combined time of 1:48.61.
Competition Highlights
- Lochner’s sled was 0.43 seconds faster than the silver medal contender, piloted by Francesco Friedrich.
- Friedrich is the two-time reigning champion and has already lost his two-man title to Lochner.
- A German podium sweep is a possibility, with Adam Ammour’s sled in third place, trailing by 0.59 seconds.
Close Competition Ahead
The competition remains tight, with just 0.3 seconds separating third from eighth place. Teams from Switzerland, Italy, Great Britain, and the Republic of Korea are also in the race for medals, raising the stakes for the final heats on Sunday.
