Flawless Friedrich hits double figures as World Cup success continues

Francesco Friedrich won a two-man bobsleigh World Cup race for the tenth time this season after continuing his dominance with victory in Koenigssee.

The German has failed to win just one of the 11 races in the campaign and showed no signs of defeat on home ice, with he and Thorsten Margis 0.20 seconds clear of the field.

The pair clocked the fastest time at each checkpoint in both races to stop the clock in 1:38.69, with compatriot Johannes Lochner forced to settle for second place alongside Eric Franke.

Lochner is the only man to usurp Friedrich on the World Cup circuit this season, with this his tenth podium from 11 outings – six of which have seen him finish with the silver medal.

Benjamin Maier took third place in a repeat of the podium from Winterberg at the start of the year, with the Austrian this time supported by Kristian Huber on the ice.

The two were consistent throughout despite a slower start to their first run, though a time of 1:39.65 was not enough to derail the German dominance in Koenigssee.

Canada's Justin Kripps was fourth while an impressive run from Brad Hall and his brakeman Greg Cackett saw a British bob take another top-five finish.

Lamin Dean and Joel Fearon, meanwhile, were unable to qualify for the second run.

Friedrich's near-faultless record means he stays top of the two-man World Cup standings on a total of 2460 points, with compatriot Lochner close behind on 2269.

Switzerland's Michael Vogt was absent from this event but remains in third place – with closest challengers Dominik Dvorak, Oskars Kibermanis and Simon Friedli only able to finish 14th, 15th and 16th respectively.

The World Cup circuit now heads to Innsbruck-Igls to round out the month ahead of next month's World Championships, set to take place in Altenberg from February 5.

Sportsbeat 2021