Overview

• Lochner, 34, confirmed in interviews that this will be his final season and said he looks forward to time with his child after retiring.
• His last World Cup campaign opens on the Cortina Olympic track on November 22–23, and with Königssee not ready he expects his final run to come at the Games.
• The five-time world champion owns two Olympic silver medals from Beijing 2022 and has targeted Cortina gold as the capstone to his career.
• Four-time Olympic medalist Thorsten Margis has joined Lochner’s crew after previously pushing for long-time rival Francesco Friedrich.
• Friedrich’s pusher Simon Wulff received a 21‑month ban for methylhexanamine from a December 2024 test, with the German federation saying last season’s standings could be affected; Lochner criticized Friedrich for accepting the overall trophy and said he has no official notice of any changes.