Johannes Lochner, a two-time Olympic bobsled silver medalist who has been countryman Francesco Friedrich’s primary rival for several years, plans to retire after the 2026 Milan Cortina Games.
Lochner, 34, was quoted by Münchner Merkur and BR24 Sport saying this will be his final season.
Lochner drove German sleds to silver medals in the two- and four-man events at the 2022 Beijing Games, finishing behind Friedrich-driven sleds in each race.
He also finished second to Friedrich in both races at last season’s World Championships and in last season’s World Cup standings.
Friedrich owns a record 16 World Championships titles between two- and four-man events. The only driver to beat Friedrich at worlds in the last nine years is Lochner, who did so in the two-man in 2023. They also shared four-man gold in 2017.
Friedrich, 35, said in 2022 that he would make the 2026 Milan Cortina Games the last competition of his career. Then he said at the 2025 Worlds that he’ll wait to make a final decision on retirement.
In 2026, Friedrich can break the record for most Olympic bobsled gold medals (four) that he currently shares with retired countrymen Andre Lange and Kevin Kuske, plus Thorsten Margis.
Margis was a push athlete in Friedrich’s sleds at the last two Olympics, then switched to Lochner’s team last fall (though he didn’t compete last season).
