Justin Kripps from Canada third after two of four race runs
Yanqing (RWH) Team Friedrich (GER) ahead of Team Lochner (GER) and Team Kripps (CAN) - this is the order in the top three places in 4-man bobsleigh after the Olympic opener in Beijing.
Francesco Friedrich, the 2018 Olympic Champion, had started the second rac run at the Winter Games in second place with Thorsten Margis, Candy Bauer and Alexander Schueller. With a start record (4.82 seconds), the team then took already a tenth of a second off the previously leading Johannes Lochner with Florian Bauer, Christopher Weber and Christian Rasp and turned a 0.16-second gap into a narrow lead until the finish. Johannes Lochner is now 0.03 seconds behind team mate Friedrich going into the final Olympic day with two more heats.
Justin Kripps (CAN, 0.38 seconds back) is currently in third place at the Yanqing Sliding Center with Ryan Sommer, Cam Stones and Ben Coakwell.
Christoph Hafer (GER, 0.55 seconds back) with Michael Salzer, Matthias Sommer and Tobias Schneider is half-time fourth ahead of Oskars Kibermanis (LAT, 0.56 seconds back) with Davis Springis, Matiss Miknis and Edgars Nemme and the British team of Brad Hall (0.69 seconds back) with Taylor Lawrence, Nick Gleeson and Greg Cackett.
The two 4-man bobsleigh teams of the Olympic hosts from China, pilot Li Chunjian with Ding Song, Ye Jielong and Shi Hao and Sun Kaizhi with Wu Qingze, Wu Zhitao and Zhen Heng, are ranked 16th and 17th out of a total of 28 starters after the first Olympic day. ©RWH2022
Francesco Friedrich (GER, 2018 Olympic Champion, four-time World Champion).
"We have to do everything again tomorrow exactly like we did today in the second run. In the first run we had some mistakes in it, already at the start we ran way too far."
Johannes Lochner (GER, World Champion 2017, overall World Cup winner 2018)
"What Franz did at the start in the second run was really badass. One tenth at the start could be three tenths at the finish, so it's good that we are still so close. We can't have any mistakes tomorrow."
Justin Kripps (CAN, overall World Cup runner-up 2022, World Cup third 2019).
"We had fast pushes, clean loads and good runs. I'm pretty happy with the whole thing."
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Photos: IBSF / Viesturs Lacis
