Bobsleigh – Bobsleigh & Skeleton World Championships – 2-Man Bobsleigh – Altenberg, Germany – February 23, 2020 Germany’s Francesco Friedrich and Thorsten Margis celebrate winning a gold medal REUTERS/Matthias Rietschel
(Reuters) – Germany’s Francesco Friedrich became the first bobsledder to win 10 world titles when the reigning Olympic champion won the two-man event at the IBSF World Championships on Sunday in Altenberg, Germany.
Before Sunday, Friedrich had shared the record with Italy’s Eugenio Monti, who won nine gold medals between 1957 and 1966. Friedrich has won gold in the two-man, four-man and mixed team events.
With brakeman Thorsten Margis tucked in behind him, the pair finished with a combined time of three minutes 40.44 seconds, hitting a top speed of 126.34 kph.
Their time was 1.65 seconds faster than compatriots Johannes Lochner and Christopher Weber, who took silver, while Latvia’s Oskars Kibermanis and Matiss Miknis finished third.
Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; editing by Clare Fallon