Lochner Delivers Gold in Record-Breaking Fashion (Image Credits: Flickr)
Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy – A dominant German performance overshadowed a gritty effort from the American pair in the men’s two-man bobsled final at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
Lochner Delivers Gold in Record-Breaking Fashion
Johannes Lochner and Georg Fleischhauer of Germany captured gold with a total time of 3:39.70 across four blistering runs at the Cortina Sliding Centre.[1][2]
Lochner set a start record of 4.78 seconds and a track record of 54.68 seconds in the opening heat, building a lead that grew to 1.34 seconds over silver medalists Francesco Friedrich and Alexander Schuller by the finish.[3][4]
The victory marked Lochner’s first Olympic gold after earning silver in Beijing four years earlier, while Fleischhauer claimed his debut medal as a two-time German 400m hurdles champion.[1]
Friedrich added silver to his collection, tying the record for most Olympic bobsled medals with five, including four golds.
U.S. Bobsledders Push Hard but Miss Podium
Frank Del Duca and Joshua Williamson delivered the United States’ best Olympic two-man result in years, finishing fourth in 3:41.96, just 0.44 seconds behind bronze medalist Adam Ammour and Alexander Schaller.[5][2]
The duo held fourth after two runs, trailing the German trio by a mere tenth of a second for bronze contention, and posted their fastest times yet in the final heats – 55.34 seconds in the anchor run, the third-quickest overall.[3][5]
Del Duca, a 34-year-old Army sergeant from Bethel, Maine, improved dramatically from ninth place in 2022. “We do have to be proud of what we’ve done,” he said after the race.[5]
Williamson echoed the sentiment: “If you would have told us we would have got a chance at a fourth-place finish four, five years ago, we would have been ecstatic.”
Race Results at a Glance
| Position | Country / Team | Total Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Gold | Germany (Lochner/Fleischhauer) | 3:39.70 |
| 2. Silver | Germany (Friedrich/Schuller) | 3:41.04 |
| 3. Bronze | Germany (Ammour/Schaller) | 3:41.52 |
| 4. | USA (Del Duca/Williamson) | 3:41.96 |
| 5. | Romania (Tentea) | Not specified |
Germany’s sweep marked the second straight Olympics they claimed all two-man medals, a feat not seen in consecutive Games since their luge dominance two decades ago.[2]
Path to Perfection Proves Elusive
Del Duca noted the razor-thin margins in elite bobsled. “You have to be perfect or as close to it as possible,” he said of matching the Germans.[5]
After Run 1, the top three sleds hailed from Germany, with Lochner ahead by nearly half a second. The U.S. gained ground in Run 2 but could not close the gap fully.
- Lochner’s four fastest heats sealed dominance.
- Friedrich overcame a bumpy start to claim silver.
- Ammour’s debut bronze highlighted Germany’s depth.
- US final-run speed showed potential for four-man event.
- Romanian climber Tentea rounded out top five.
Key Takeaways:
- Germany’s 1-2-3 finish repeats Beijing 2022 sweep.
- U.S. fourth place beats prior best, eyes four-man redemption starting February 21.
- Lochner’s 1.34-second win is largest Olympic two-man margin in decades.
Though medals eluded them, Del Duca and Williamson’s performance signals rising U.S. strength in a German stronghold. As the four-man competition approaches, American fans hold hope for hardware. What do you think of Team USA’s bobsled prospects? Tell us in the comments.
