Bobsleigh
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On the gut of the house, Francesco Friedrich continues to write new pages in the history of the bob. The champion originally from Pirna, who grew up agonistically on the Altenberg track, continues to dictate the law by obtaining the ninth and tenth success of the season, bringing the streak of consecutive braces (bobsled to two and four ed) to 8 in the same weekend and closing the '' calendar year 2021 as undefeated.
Sunday 19 December 2021 7 minutes reading time
In the two-man bobsleigh, Friedrich paired with Thorsten Margis closed the practice for the fourth seasonal victory of the specialty already after the first descent, where he printed the best time of the day. In the second heat the two-time Olympic champion made some mistakes that made him more "human" than usual but that did not prevent him from celebrating once again a success, the 41st of his career in the two-man bobsleigh.
Behind the greatest driver of all times, was his compatriot Christoph Hafer who finally managed to stand out by capturing together with the brakeman Issam Ammour the best result of his career, who previously had taken as personal best in the World Cup a third place in Sigulda in 2018. Hafer, who finished behind Friedrich with a delay of 22 cents, impressed well in the driven section, where during the first descent he was even faster than the illustrious compatriot. Third place for the Canadian Kripps, author of a sumptuous second heat that took him to the podium from the provisional seventh position. The other Canadian Spring closes the topfive, and the Swiss Simon Friedli at the best race of the season.
At Casa Italia the progress of Patrick Baumgartner continues, who seems to have changed register since he abandoned his usual bobsleigh. The South Tyrolean driver paired with Lorenzo Bilotti finished in thirteenth position not so far from the top, but above all he collected very important points in view of qualifying for the Beijing 2022 Games. Twenty-fourth position instead for Mattia Variola and Jose Delmas Obou.
In the four, Friedrich and his usual crew formed by Thorsten Margis, Martin Grothkopp and Alexander Schueller obtained his sixth seal of the season, the 21st of his career in the specialty, ahead of Justin Kripps in great dust by 28 cents and a very fast Rotislav Gaitukevich by 35. author of the best chronometric reference in the final heat, thus giving himself the second podium of his career in the four-man bobsleigh.
Fourth place for the Austrian Maier, fifth for a newfound Kibermanis, while Johannes Lochner closes a decidedly bitter weekend in twenty-first position, which began with tenth place in the two-man bobsleigh and continued out of the twenty in four.
Second heat of applause for the blues Patrick Baumgartner, Eric Fantazzini, Alex Verginer and Lorenzo Bilotti, who sign the sixth part time, climbing from the fourteenth to the tenth position. A decidedly encouraging result for the Fiamme Azzurre driver who equals his best career placement in the World Cup, even if today's one takes on a greater specific weight as last year at Winterberg in the first seasonal outing the competition was much lower. . Positive also the performance of Mattia Variola, Robert Mircea, Alex Pagnini and Jose Delmas Obou twentieth, who obtained the qualification for the second round and above all they gained important experience on an unforgiving track.
Among the women, a German one-two, with Kim Kalicki and Lisa Buckwitz on the top step of the podium who with two perfect heats ahead of compatriots Jamanka-Burghardt by 22 cents and the two-time Olympic champion Kaillie Humphries by 43. With today's success, the second of his career, Kalicki is projected into second position in the general classification benefiting from a small empty exit of the leader of the ranking Laura Nolte "only" sixth in Altenberg.
In the monobob, on the other hand, the North American "monopoly" continues in the World Series races that accompany the World Cup circuit. In Altenberg, the Canadian Christine de Bruin won with a margin of just 13 cents over her compatriot Appiah and third place for the world champion Humphries separated by 19 cents.
Giada Andreutti's weekend ends with a twentieth and twenty-first place. The Friulian paired with former star and skeletonist Elena Scarpellini was placed between twenty in two, while in the monobob she was unable to qualify for the final heat.
After the Christmas break, the bobsleigh circuit is once again the protagonist in Latvia on the Sigulda track.
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