Friedrich leads 4-man world bobsled title race as weather takes its toll on Lake Placid track
LAKE PLACID, N.Y. (AP) — Germany's Francesco Friedrich is well on his way to another world bobsled title.
And that was about the only predictable development in the four-man world championship race that started Friday at Mount Van Hoevenberg.
The second heat of the four-heat race was canceled — after it had been run in its entirety — Friday because of track conditions getting worse as the air temperature climbed quickly, the International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation said.
That decision came after Germany's Johannes Lochner had one of the runners attached to his sled damaged by sliding through bare spots on the track. He also had damage to the front of his sled from something that happened as he jumped in at the start, which wouldn't have been caused by any track condition issue.
'The jury at the IBSF Bobsleigh & Skeleton World Championships Lake Placid 2025 decided to cancel heat 2 of today's 4-man-bobsleigh competition due to track conditions,' the IBSF said. 'The race will be continued with two heats (Saturday) as scheduled.'
Weather-permitting, that is.
It was about 25 degrees Fahrenheit (-4 degrees Celsius) when racing started Friday and climbed to about 48 degrees (8 degrees Celsius) when the four-man event was done for the morning. The track, which has an artificial refrigeration system, was disintegrating quickly — and that was with the two-woman race set to begin in the afternoon.
And the weather forecast for Saturday calls for even warmer air.
Friedrich — a 15-time world champion, with nine two-man golds and four two-man golds on his resume along with two more Olympic golds in both disciplines — was going to be the leader anyway. His one-run time is 54.23 seconds, with Lochner (54.52) second and Britain's Brad Hall (54.54) third.
Had the second run counted, Hall would have been second, with Germany's Adam Ammour third, Frank Del Duca of the U.S. fourth, Kris Horn of the U.S. in fifth and Lochner in sixth. Instead, it's officially Friedrich, Lochner and Hall in the top three spots, followed by Ammour, Del Duca and then Horn and South Korea's Jinsu Kim tied for sixth.
The two-woman race was to start later Friday and conclude Saturday afternoon. The four-man race is scheduled to resume at 8 a.m. Saturday.
___
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Report: Bengals releasing veteran linebacker after 6 seasons
The Cincinnati Bengals are reportedly parting ways with a veteran linebacker after six seasons. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Germaine Pratt was expected to be released by the team on Monday, according to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network. Advertisement The Bengals have not yet announced Pratt's release themselves. Pelissero said the move would give the team $5.6 million in salary cap savings. TRENDING STORIES: Pratt was drafted in the third round in 2019 and started 88 games over 66 seasons, according to the Associated Press (AP). The AP also reported that Pratt requested a trade during the offseason as he was entering the final season of a three-year contract. He finished ninth in the NFL in 2024 with 143 tackles, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and two interceptions. Pratt sealed the Bengals' first playoff win during the 2021 Super Bowl run with an interception in the final seconds against Las Vegas. It was Cincinnati's first playoff victory in 31 seasons. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]


Chicago Tribune
an hour ago
- Chicago Tribune
Barbara weakens to a tropical storm as it heads to cooler waters off the coast of Mexico
Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — Tropical Storm Barbara gradually weakened as it continued heading northwest away from land Monday evening after strengthening to a hurricane earlier in the day. The storm marked the first of the eastern Pacific hurricane season. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Monday swells generated by the storm system will affect portions of the coast of southwestern Mexico during the next few days. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions. Hurricane Barbara was located about 230 miles (370 kilometers) west of Manzanillo, Mexico. Its maximum sustained winds were clocked at 70 mph (110 kph). The storm's center was moving northwest at 12 mph (19 kph). The Center said Barbara was forecast to weaken overnight as it moved closer to the Baja Peninsula and should become a remnant low in the next day or two. No coastal warnings or watches were in effect Monday morning. But the storm had been expected earlier to bring heavy rainfall to coastal areas of Guerrero, Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco states, with the possibility of localized flooding. The hurricane center said swells from Barbara were likely to form life-threatening surf and rip current conditions along the southwestern Mexican coast, with gusty winds likely. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Cosme strengthened slightly Monday but remained well off the coast of Mexico, about 600 miles (965 kilometers) south-southwest of the tip of Baja California, the NHC said. At 8 p.m. local time, it had maximum sustained winds of 70 mph (100 kph) and was moving northwest at 3 mph (5 kph). Cosme is expected to reach near-hurricane strength overnight before weakening later in the day.


Fox Sports
2 hours ago
- Fox Sports
Naylor hits grand slam in 11th and Diamondbacks recover to beat Mariners 8-4
Associated Press PHOENIX (AP) — Josh Naylor hit a game-ending grand slam in the 11th inning and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Seattle Mariners 8-4 on Monday night after losing closer Justin Martinez with two outs in the ninth and then blowing a four-run lead. Corbin Carroll launched a leadoff homer and Naylor had three hits and five RBIs for the Diamondbacks, who stopped a three-game skid. Martinez entered to start the ninth with Arizona leading 4-0 and struck out Jorge Polanco and Randy Arozarena to begin the inning. The right-hander then walked Dylan Moore on a full count and threw a pitch to Donovan Solano before calling for an athletic trainer. Jeff Brigham came in and gave up RBI singles to Solano and Cole Young before Dominic Canzone tied it with a 450-foot, two-run drive to right field for his first homer this season. Juan Morillo retired slugger Cal Raleigh with two runners aboard to finally end the inning. Morillo then pitched a perfect 10th and Jalen Beeks (2-0) got three straight outs in the 11th. Naylor homered to right-center with one out on a 1-2 pitch from Carlos Vargas (1-5), who was working his second inning in relief. Vargas loaded the bases with a walk to Geraldo Perdomo that followed an intentional walk to Ketel Marte. ___ AP MLB: recommended