Men’s four-man bobsleigh in the live ticker

12:04 p.m.: The second run has begun. The order is now reversed, the best drivers from the first round only come at the end. And with it the three German starters Ammour, Friedrich and Lochner.

Intermediate results 1st run

1. Lochner/Margis/Wenzel/Fleischhauer (Germany) 53.91 seconds

2. Friedrich/Sommer/Schuller/Straub (Germany) +0.39

3. Brad/Cackett/Greenwood/Lawrence (Great Britain) +0.48

4. Follador/Rolli/Annen/Vogele (Switzerland) +0.58

5. Ammour/Ammour/taschen/Schaller (Germany) +0.60

10.30 a.m.: The first run is still in full swing, but one thing can already be said: Johannes Lochner showed a really strong run here. Nobody can come close to his time, not even his eternal competitor Francesco Friedrich, who already has to make up for a deficit of 39 hundredths. Adam Ammour is fifth. In this way he preserves his chance of a medal. There are still 3 races left, the 2nd race will take place at 12 noon.

10.20 a.m.: No driver can come close to Johannes Lochner, a strong ride from the German! The American Kristopher Horn doesn’t have a flawless ride here, but he will be happy with 8th place and a time of 54.60 seconds in the end. With a view to a possible medal, Horn is still within striking distance.

10.15 a.m.: Two Swiss are now at the start. First up is Michael Vogt, who ends up in 6th place, 62 hundredths behind. His compatriot Cedric Follador coped a little better with the track in this first run. He pushes Adam Ammour out of 4th place with a time of 54.49 seconds.

10:13 a.m.: The Italian Patrick Baumgarnter cannot keep up with Lochner either. Too many mistakes cost him time, but in the end he was still within striking distance of the podium, 64 hundredths behind and in 5th place.

10.10 a.m.: Bad mistake by the Austrian Markus Treichl right at the start. The sleigh stands sideways for a moment after it has taken the first gang with it. This mishap then continues throughout the entire journey because there is also a lack of speed. The gap to Lochner is already 89 hundredths of a second.

10:08 a.m.: Nobody can keep up with Lochner so far, not even the Brit Brad Hall. He had to repeatedly make slight corrections during the ride, and in the end he moved into 3rd place ahead of Adam Ammour. The Briton’s gap to the leading German is 48 hundredths.

Lochner with a splendid drive – a deficit for Friedrich

10:07 a.m.: Adam Ammour is the next German at the top. He can’t keep up with Lochner at the start and the gap increases as the journey goes on. In the end it’s 60 hundredths on Lochner, that’s a board after just one ride.

10:05 a.m.: Now Francesco Friedrich is racing down the ice channel. He also had a strong start at the top, but in the end he didn’t show a flawless ride. In the end he loses a lot of time in the direct duel against Lochner. On the deficit is 39 hundredths. Friedrich will not be satisfied with this.

10:02 a.m.: Johannes Lochner opened the first run. Together with Thorsten Margis, Jorn Wenzel and Georg Fleischhauer, they set a new start record. Lochner takes the gang a few times, but overall shows a strong ride. In the end the time was 53.91 seconds. This is a new track record!

9:55 a.m.: The German drivers are the favorites in the men’s four-man bobsleigh. The competition begins in a few minutes.

9:15 a.m.: Good morning to the penultimate day at the Olympics. The first of four runs in the four-man bobsleigh starts at 10 a.m. Three Germans open the competition. First up is Johannes Lochner, followed by Francesco Friedrich and finally Adam Ammour.

For Francesco Friedrich, historical opportunity and an uncertain future are close together. A victory in the four-man bobsleigh could make him the first bobsleigh pilot to win five gold medals at the Winter Olympics. The first two races are on Saturday (10 a.m. and 12 p.m./ARD and Eurosport). How a possible triumph will influence his future career remains to be seen. Only after the Olympics does Friedrich want to decide on his future in the family council. “We don’t know yet whether things will continue for us,” said Friedrich.

The former dominator ponders and ponders. Not just about the coming years, but also about the dominance of his long-term rival Johannes Lochner this season and on the Olympic track. Friedrich was 1.34 seconds behind in the two-man bobsleigh – the largest gap in 46 years.

Lochner will step down after the Olympics

For many weeks he has suspected that his competitor Lochner, who has now been awarded gold, has a material advantage. “They’ve found something. This means they drive in a relaxed, relaxed manner. They start incredibly well and sometimes also have the highest exit speed. That’s why it can all be explained somewhere,” said Friedrich.

Lochner had announced that he would end his career after the Olympic Games. He can now celebrate his farewell with his second Olympic victory.