Bobsleigh prelude in Innsbruck-Igls: The bobsleigh hunt for Francesco Friedrich begins again
Status: 11/18/2021 1:47 p.m.
The Bobsleigh World Cup started in the new season and so did Francesco Friedrich: The top driver of the past few years WILL be the hunted once again.
The perfectionist checks every adjustment screw: Bobsleigh driver Francesco Friedrich.
Image: Tobias Hase / dpa
The exceptional bobsleigh pilot from the BSC Sachsen Oberbärenburg has been among the best in the world for years and is also the top favorite at the start of the World Cup in Innbruck-Igls.
Bumpy preparation – bobs come with a delay
Lament the home advantage of the Chinese as an injustice: Bobsleigh national coach René Spies.
Image: Tobias Hase / dpa
The preparation for the first World Cup was anything but smooth. After the test races on the Olympic track in China, the bobsleighs found their way back to the athletes with a delay. “We had to wait a long time after our return from Beijing this time,” said national coach René Spies, describing the situation. It started with a delay in China because there were radio batteries in the bob boxes that did not belong there and were discovered.
Then the material remained lying around for a few days after landing in Frankfurt because there were apparently not enough people to distribute the cargo. Spies: “Not only we, but all other international teams were also affected by the delay.” At least one is happy that the bobsleighs are there in time for the first World Cup.
Start with Corona worries
Spies is currently more concerned about corona failures, because they may also have an impact on the Olympic starting places. The German team can still get third place on the grid until January 16. “If you have a positive case and you are maybe missing two World Cups, then it could be critical for us because we have to be among the best two nations for third place on the grid,” he explains.
Advantage Friedrich – double victory on the Olympic track
Francesco Friedrich is sure to be set for the highlight of the season. During the test races on the Olympic track, it impressively shows that there will be no way around the Pirnaer this season either. Everything was new and yet as always, because in the end the winner was Francesco Friedrich.
There were two races, and both were won by the Dominator, the fastest man to steer sledges through the ice channel in both the two-man and four-man bobsleigh in Yanqing. In the four he relegated his German team mate Johannes Lochner (Stuttgart) to second place with a 0.30 second lead. Third place went to the Latvian team of Oskars Kibermanis, ahead of the Canadian Justin Kripps.
It was closer in the two-man race, where the competition on the demanding, but fall-proof track was much closer together. It showed: It WILL depend on the start, because the track offers few opportunities to build up speed in the curves.
The Chinese around Coach Lange are hoping for a home advantage
The Chinese are hoping for their home and starting advantage, who have been trained by bobsleigh icon André Lange since 2018. While the hosts were able to test the track several 100 times, the foreign competition steered the first through the 1.6 km long ice snake in autumn. The Chinese decided not to start. There are no comparisons with it.
Next record for Friedrich?
Experience or not. Friedrich is aiming for his second double victory at the Olympics. He had already achieved this feat in 2018. If he manages the double, he breaks another record: never before in history has a bobsleigh pilot celebrated two Olympic victories twice.
Eight World Cup stations are still waiting for the Olympics to begin. In addition to Friedrich, Johannes Lochner (BC Stuttgart Solitude) and Christoph Hafer (BC Bad Feilnbach) compete in the men’s World Cup.
Hafer and his team prevailed over Richard Oelsner (BSC Sachsen Oberbärenburg) in the nomination races in Winterberg in both a two and a four. Hafer will definitely die in the first three World Cups, after which, according to national coach René Spies, a new decision will be made.
Spies: “Steffi made so many mistakes”
In the women’s category, Mariama Jamanka (BRC Thuringia) and Kim Kalicki (TuS Eintracht Wiesbaden) secured the World Cup starting places. Stephanie Schneider (WSC Erzgebirge Oberwiesenthal) was left behind.
“The race was clearly decided overhead, the changing performances of all three teams showed that. In the end, Steffi made so many mistakes in the last run that she fell back significantly. Unfortunately, that is the case at the Olympics also four runs, ”explains Spies.
Saturday, November 20th, 2021 | Sunday, 11/21/2021 |
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9.00 a.m .: Monobob, 1st run (women) | 9.00 a.m .: Two men, 1st run (women) |
10.30 a.m .: Monobob, 2nd run (women) | 10.30 a.m .: Two men, 2nd run (women) |
1.30 p.m .: two men, 1st run (men) | 1.30 p.m .: foursome, 1st run (men) |
3 p.m .: two-man, 2nd run (men) | 3 p.m .: foursome, 2nd run (men) |
Source: sportschau.de