IBSF Bobsleigh World Cup Sigulda: Five athletes to watch
Bobsleigh legend Francesco Friedrich leads a talented field for the second stage of the 2024/25 IBSF Bobsleigh World Cup.
Bobsleigh
Four-time Olympic bobsleigh champion Francesco Friedrich started his quest for a seventh consecutive 4-man World Cup title in fine form last Sunday (8 December), piloting the German sled to victory on home ice in Altenberg to take an early lead in the standings.
The 34-year-old will again be top billing in Latvia this weekend (14-15 December), though several other Olympic medallists could light up the track in Sigulda in the 4-man, 2-man, 2-woman, and monobob competitions.
We take a look at five of those candidates below.
Francesco Friedrich (Germany): 4-man and 2-man
Where else to begin than with Friedrich? Over the weekend, the German not only won the opening 4-man race in Altenberg but also placed first in the 2-man event alongside Simon Wulff.
While it was Friedrich's 100th World Cup race (and 48th victory), Wulff was making his debut in the competition — and what a debut it was.
At 2.02 metres tall and weighing 106 kilograms, the 23-year-old is a formidable sprinter (he has a personal best time of 10.06 seconds in the 100m), as evidenced by the new start record |(5.07 seconds) he and Friedrich produced in their first run in Altenberg.
With Wulff's power and Friedrich's experience, the top German 2-man sled boasts a frightening combination that should seem them dominate again in Latvia.
Laura Nolte (Germany): Monobob & 2-woman
Friedrich wasn't the only German topping the podium in Saxony last weekend; 2022 Olympic gold champion Laura Nolte began her title defence in the 2-woman competition with a blistering time of 1:52.14 —.65 seconds faster than compatriot Lisa Buckwitz in second.
A day prior the 26-year-old just edged out Buckwitz for gold in the monobob event — a discipline in which Nolte is the two-time defending world champion.
All eyes will be on Nolte and Friedrich to see if the duo can repeat their double victories in Latvia and take a commanding lead in their respective disciplines.
Lisa Buckwitz (Germany): Monobob & 2-woman
Lisa Buckwitz was a member of the "Berlin Bob" 2-woman team alongside Mariama Jamanka that claimed gold at the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, and has since gone on to establish herself as one of the top pilots in the sport, with wins at the 2024 world (2-woman) and European (monobob) championships under her belt.
The 30-year-old will surely be looking to get one over Nolte in Sigulda after coming up just short in both the monobob and 2-woman races last weekend, which should make for an exciting competition this weekend.
Johannes Lochner (Germany): 4-man & 2-man
It must be hard for any pilot in bobsleigh to try and catch Friedrich, but Lochner is sure putting up a fight.
The two-time Olympic silver medallist (yes, he finished behind Freidrich on both occasions) was 0.17 seconds behind Friedrich in the 4-man and 0.41 seconds slower in the 2-man in Altenberg, and thus far seems the most likely to beat "Franz" in World Cup competition.
Markus Treichl (Austria): 4-man
Crashing the German bobsleigh party is Markus Treichl, who posted a surprise second-place finish in Altenberg in the 4-man event (at 0.17 seconds back, Treichl and Lochner shared silver).
That medal was Treichl's first in World Cup competition, so it will be interesting to see whether the 31-year-old can build on his performance and claim another top-3 finish in Latvia.