German bobsleigh athletes dominated the start of competition at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. Johannes Lochner, racing with Georg Fleischhauer, built a significant lead over favored Francesco Friedrich after the first two runs of the two-man event. In the women's monobob, Laura Nolte maintained her lead heading into the decisive runs, fending off attacks from representatives of the United States. German dominance in the ice chute confirms this nation's technological and sporting advantage in sliding sports.

Unbeatable Johannes Lochner

The German pilot built a gigantic lead of 0.80 seconds over Francesco Friedrich, also setting a new track record in Cortina.

Laura Nolte Leads Monobob

The German representative leads by 0.22 seconds over Elana Meyers Taylor, although the Americans are systematically closing the gap ahead of the final.

End of a Great Career

For Johannes Lochner, these Games mark his farewell to the sport after 15 years of competition, making a potential gold medal the perfect culmination of his successes.

Competition at the legendary Cortina Sliding Centre is proceeding under the sign of absolute dominance by German representatives. In the men's two-man competition, Johannes Lochner and his pusher Georg Fleischhauer shocked the competition by setting a track record on their very first run. After two of the four scheduled runs, their lead over second-placed Francesco Friedrich is a substantial 0.80 seconds, which in bobsleigh is considered a barrier almost impossible to overcome in a single day of competition. Friedrich, who holds the record for the number of championship titles, this time had to acknowledge the superiority of his compatriot, who announced he would end his 15-year career after these Games. Germany has dominated sliding sports for decades, a result of a unique combination of advanced engineering (collaboration with the FES institute in Berlin) and access to four professional artificially refrigerated tracks within its own country. Among women in the new Olympic event – monobob – Laura Nolte remains the leader. The 27-year-old German, who won gold in the two-woman event four years ago in Beijing, now stands before the chance for a historic solo triumph. Although she set a track record in the first run, her lead over the Americans, Elana Meyers Taylor and Kaillie Humphries, began to shrink in subsequent runs. Before the final, fourth run, Nolte must show nerves of steel, as the differences among the top three hover around 0.22 seconds. The Polish team is not involved in the fight for top positions in these events, highlighting the difficulties in building a competitive bobsleigh program without dedicated training infrastructure. 0,80 s — Johannes Lochner's lead over Francesco Friedrich The final day of competition in both categories will decide whether Germany will claim the full set of medals. The pressure is immense, especially in Friedrich's camp, as he dreams of a third consecutive Olympic double gold medal. However, Lochner, in the form of his life and with perfectly prepared equipment, seems out of reach of his rivals. Experts emphasize that the condition of the ice chute in the evening hours, when temperatures in Cortina d'Ampezzo drop, will be crucial, as this typically favors athletes who prefer hard, fast ice. Standings after 2 of 4 runs (men: Lochner/Fleischhauer: 0.00, Friedrich/Schüller: 0.80, Adam Ammour: 0.83

Mentioned People

  • Johannes Lochner — German bobsleigh pilot, leader in the Olympic two-man competition after two runs.
  • Laura Nolte — German bobsledder, leading in the women's monobob event.
  • Francesco Friedrich — Multiple Olympic champion, currently in second place in the two-man competition.