As of: February 28, 2024, 7:59 a.m
By: Christoph Wutz
Comments
Press
Split
The German bobsleigh pilots go from victory to victory.
The national coach explains the special competitive situation.
But it won't stay that way for long.
Winterberg – Germany is the dominant force in the sport of bobsleigh: Last season, German drivers raced to overall World Cup victory across genders in three of the four competitions.
And this year too, the pilots of the Bobsleigh and Sled Association for Germany (BSD) are almost out of competition.
In the World Cup and at the Bobsleigh World Championships in Winterberg (from February 19th to March 3rd) they dominate the action at will.
Dominance in the ice track: Why does Germany win almost everything in bobsledding?
German bobsleigh drivers have won an incredible 25 of the 28 World Cup races so far this season and are leading all rankings.
And on the first weekend of the World Cup in Winterberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, five of the six medals awarded went to the BSD.
But why does Germany win almost everything in bobsledding?
“The competitive pressure for us is enormous,” explained national coach René Spies to the Sport Information Service
(SID)
.
The “sporting dominance” comes from “very good start times in all teams” and the “driving potential” that was perfectly utilized, said the 50-year-old coach.
For example, Francesco Friedrich set three track records in the two-man bobsleigh on the first two days of the World Championships and thus confidently won the World Championship title.
Unbeatable?
The German bobsleigh pilots (here Francesco Friedrich (from) and Thorsten Margis in a pair) dominate their sport at will.
© Andreas Franke / Imago
“Nobody can let up”: national bobsleigh coach Spies explains German superiority
The current shower of medals for his protégés is “the best possible situation,” said the 50-year-old Spies.
The 50-year-old national coach wants to maintain this on the second weekend of the World Cup - with a clear strategy: “We have all areas at their limits.
Not just with one team, but with several.
Nobody can let up,” Spies told the
SID
:
The BSD pilots duel among themselves.
"(
Johannes, editor's note
) Lochner and Friedrich are fighting at the top - and now Adam Ammour is joining them." The 22-year-old surprisingly became European champion in the pair in Sigulda at the beginning of February and was now celebrating with his brother Issam the World Championships silver medal in the same discipline.
My news
Better “Sodom and Gomorrah” than the “square Kastl”: Neureuther takes people’s looks carefully
Almost exactly a year later: Ski star tears his cruciate ligament again while attempting a comeback
Ski star (28) tearfully announces immediate end to career: “I can’t read anymore.”
German ski jumping star suddenly celebrates a sensational comeback after a total crash
Neureuther explains Weisswurst faux pas with Schweinsteiger – and almost commits the next read
Ski star tearfully announces the end of her career
The BSD pilots also win almost every race – Spies explains why
But the internal competition is not only huge among men.
The pilots around monobob world champion Laura Nolte, who also won Olympic gold in Beijing two years ago, and European champion Lisa Buckwitz also dominate the scene.
“It’s similar with women, especially in pairs,” Spies continued in an interview with
SID
.
“Everyone is working to the limit, trying to get better and get everything they can.” The coaches also play a big part in this.
“The system is enormous for us because we have many coaches who are well trained,” explained Spies, whose protégés won three of the four possible gold medals at the last Olympic Games in Beijing two years ago.
“The training system here is certainly better than in other nations.”
Laura Nolte is happy about her victory in the monobob competition at the Bobsleigh World Championships in Winterberg.
© Eibner / Imago
Already decided on the 2026 Olympic bobsleigh competitions?
German coach warns
With a view to the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, no major squad changes are to be expected: “Francesco has said very clearly that he will continue until 2026, Johannes Lochner will decide that from year to year,” Spies revealed to the
SID
.
“The question doesn’t arise with Ammour and the women, they’ll all definitely carry on.”
“The pressure of competition for us is enormous,” says national bobsleigh coach René Spies, explaining the overwhelming dominance of his protégés.
© Eibner / Imago
Nevertheless, the competitions for the national coach have not yet been decided.
Because in his eyes the almost impenetrable superiority is just a snapshot.
“This dominance will not last, we already know that,” predicted the 50-year-old.
The current situation is “definitely not the picture for the next two years.” Spies has the Americans in particular on his radar: “The team is very inexperienced apart from Elana Meyers Taylor, but they all have huge potential.” However, this is the case The German athletes in particular are currently proving their worth in the ice track.
Recently, however, a pilot said goodbye to the BSD: Bobsleigh world champion Annika Drazek tearfully announced the end of her career.
(wuc/SID)
You can find more news from the world of sports in our brand new Merkur.de app, now with an improved design and more personalization functions. Directly available for download for Apple and Android, more information can be found here. Are you an enthusiastic user of WhatsApp? Merkur.de will now keep you up to date via a new Whatsapp channel.