Overview
- The Bob- und Schlittenverband für Deutschland announced on Thursday that 36-year-old Francesco Friedrich will extend his career through the 2030 Winter Games.
- Friedrich’s crew was reconfigured immediately, with Georg Fleischhauer and Rupert Schenk joining while longtime pushers Matthias Sommer and Felix Straub remain and Alexander Schüller transfers to Hans-Peter Hannighofer.
- Friedrich set explicit goals for the extended run: to compete at a fifth Olympics and to reach 100 World Cup wins, a target he currently trails with 89 victories.
- The newly formed team’s first major competitive benchmark is the 2027 World Championships in Lillehammer, and selection questions remain over whether sprint specialist Simon Wulff will rejoin after his doping suspension ends.
- Johannes Lochner’s recent retirement reshapes the domestic field and hands Friedrich clearer leadership of Germany’s bobsleigh program, a shift that will influence team dynamics, rival lineups, and medal prospects over the next four seasons.