Francesco Friedrich settles for silver at European Championship in final Beijing 2022 prelude

Francesco Friedrich's four-man bobsleigh suffered its first defeat of the Olympic season in the final race before Beijing 2022.

Having swept each of the first seven races of the World Cup campaign, the German sled settled for silver at the European Championships and missed out on gold by 0.18 seconds.

Top step on the podium was occupied by a non-German crew for the second time this term with Latvia's Oskars Kibermanis taking a first World Cup win in five years.

The pilot led Davis Springis, Matiss Miknis and Edgars Nemme to a first European title for Latvia since 2015.

Friedrich still lifted the overall World Cup title for the fourth season in succession with Britain's Brad Hall ending the season in fourth place, finishing eighth on the day.

At the famous Olympic bobrun at St Moritz, the historic cradle of sliding, Kim Kalicki scooped European gold in the 2-woman competition.

The podium was locked out by German sleds with Kalicki, Mariama Jamanka and Laura Nolte separated by 0.07 seconds over two runs.

The World Cup overall went to US pilot Elana Meyers Taylor, who finished fifth on the day pushed by Kaysha Love.

Britain's Mica McNeill and Adele Nicoll got the result they needed to fulfil Olympic selection criteria at the last possible opportunity.

Their 11th placed finish saw them finish in the top two-thirds of the field for the third time this season. Subject to selection, that means McNeill will represent Team GB at her second Olympic Games alongside Nicoll, who is the reigning Welsh shot put champion and only recently began competing in the sport.

Sportsbeat

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