The Russian sled driven by Nadezhda Sergeeva and Anastasia Kocherzhova competes in the Women's Bobsled final at the Olympic Sliding Centre during the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics on February 21 in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI |
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Feb. 25 (UPI) -- German bobsledders claimed the top two spots of the 4-man event, another competition that registered a same time for podium finishers as the 2-man event at the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games here on Sunday, while the Chinese team have to look beyond this games after failing to reach the final heat in their Olympic debut.
Pilot Francesco Friedrich and his teammates Candy Bauer, Martin Grothkopp and Thorsten Margis clocked a competition-best time of 3 minutes and 15.85 seconds after four heats, handing Germany its record sixth gold medal in the 4-man competition.
Another German team, led by pilot Nico Walther, finished in 3:16.38 to sit second. South Korea, with Won Yunjong as its pilot, clocked the same time.
Prior to Sunday's match, Canadian and German bobsledders recorded the same time to share the gold medal of the 2-man bobsled in a thrilling manner on February 19. Friedrich and Margis were one of the two winning pairs.
"There have been some really hard weeks. We had to work a lot on the sled and a lot with our lines. I can't believe that we made it after such a tough time," said Friedrich.
The Chinese bobsled team, consisting of Shao Yijun, Wang Sidong, Li Chunjian and Shihao, ranked 26th among the 29 participating sides after three heats, as top 20 could earn a spot in the final heat.
"It has shown the level of our training. We made progress in every heat, and could expect a better result in the next race," said 24-year-old Wang.
"We hope to win medals four years later," he added
