dOminator Francesco Friedrich raised his helmet in celebration, then German fans celebrated the old and new world champion in Winterberg. The superlative bobsleigh rider achieved his 16th victory in the World Championship in Sauerland, the fifth time that he had won the double title between two and four. Even the German competition could not help but be surprised.

After the triumph, the perfectionist Friedrich immediately looked for a fly in the ointment. “We also looked at the start record, but unfortunately we missed it by two hundredths,” he said with a smile and immediately issued the following challenge to the competition: “We still have two years to achieve it. “We will continue to do that.”

Full form

In spring-like temperatures, Friedrich kept a cool head and drove his sled with pushers Thorsten Margis, Alexander Schüller and Felix Straub to the finish line twice without making a mistake on Sunday. “We are incredibly proud to have dominated it with such confidence,” said the new and former world champion. From a permanent competitor Johannes Lochner There was applause and he acknowledged that a Friedrich in top form is difficult to beat.

In keeping with his status, record world champion Friedrich set the course for title number 16 with a record at the start of the second day of racing and finished the race confidently. Lochner, like two-time European champion Adam Ammour, had no chance. His display of power in the two-man race, which was in the hands of Lochner during the World Cup season, was followed by Friedrich's another in his 100th four-man race.

The pilot has dominated the supreme discipline for more than half a decade. Since 2017, all five world titles have gone to Friedrich, who with his sixth win is now the only world champion in bobsled four.

Behind these two exceptional talents, Ammour fought an exciting battle for the bronze medal with Emils Cipulis of Latvia. The 22-year-old from Oberhof gained four hundredths of a second before the decisive round and achieved the next German triple victory with a flawless race. In the title fight in Winterberg he was third in all four disciplines.

Ammour is already convincing in his first World Cup season and is preparing to at least challenge the long-standing dominance of Bob King Friedrich. There is still a long way to go until then, but the foundations have already been laid.

Shooting star Ammour still has two years until the Olympic Games. The dominating Friedrich, who won double gold in both 2018 and 2022, will not give up his supremacy without a fight.