Lochner, unstoppable, takes both events in the four-man bobsleigh in Yanqing. Getty Images

For the Olympic silver medallist in 2022, it was his first win in the four-man bobsleigh since 2020, but the next day he added his second win. The German is unstoppable. On the first day, with push athletes Georg Fleischhauer, Erec Bruckert, and Florian Bauer, Lochner relegated his teammate.

Olympic champion Francesco Friedrich, also German, to 0.27 seconds. Friedrich was accompanied by Thorsten Margis, Alexander Schueller, and Candy Bauer. Completing the podium in third place was China's Sun Kaizhi, securing a place in sporting history on his home track as it marked the first podium for this country in the discipline. 

The local hero, surprisingly in the lead after the first run, finished in third place. Vice World Champion Emils Cipulis from Latvia, second after the first World Cup run at the Yanqing Sliding Centre, dropped to fourth place in the final with Davis Springis, Matiss Miknis, and Krists Lindenblats, narrowly missing his first World Cup podium. These four teams made the start of the four-man bobsleigh World Cup at the Yanqing Olympic Sliding Centre extremely exciting: after the first of the two race runs, the first four places - Sun, the tied Cipulis and Lochner, and Friedrich in fourth place - were separated by only 0.05 seconds. Thus, Johannes Lochner, with 225 points, led the overall standings of the BMW IBSF World Cup 2023-2024 before the second race. World champion Francesco Friedrich has 210 and is second overall, followed by Sun Kaizhi with 200.

Lochner, who also won in the two-man event, kicks off the BMW IBSF World Cup opening with two victories in Yanqing, China. © Getty Images
Lochner, who also won in the two-man event, kicks off the BMW IBSF World Cup opening with two victories in Yanqing, China. © Getty Images

The second day, also a victory for Lochner The German also secured his second victory in the four-man bobsleigh in the second race of the BMW IBSF World Cup. Baumgartner was second, with the best result for Italy since 1996, and Friedrich was third. Lochner maintains his undefeated status in the opening of the World Cup at the Yanqing Sliding Centre in China. In the first BMW IBSF World Cup 2023/2024, the Olympic silver medallist of 2022 won in the two-man bobsleigh, as well as in both races in the four-man bobsleigh. In the second four-man bobsleigh World Cup on the 2022 Olympic track, Lochner and his push athlete crew Georg Fleischhauer, Joshua Tasche, and Florian Bauer were 0.31 seconds ahead of second place after the two races. Surprisingly, Patrick Baumgartner from Italy took second place. After the two races, Johannes Lochner, with 450 points, leads the overall standings of the BMW IBSF World Cup 2023/2024. Francesco Friedrich has 410, and third is Patrick Baumgartner, with 386.