After doping case: Lochner escalates conflict with bobsleigh star Friedrich publicly

The Simon Wulff doping case is heating up the German bobsleigh team. Johannes Lochner is angry that Francesco Friedrich received and accepted the overall World Cup trophy despite Wulff's positive test.

Five-time bobsleigh world champion Johannes Lochner has once again sharply criticized the behavior of his long-time rival Francesco Friedrich. In connection with the farce surrounding Friedrich's pusher Simon Wulff's positive doping test, Lochner accused the record world champion of "stubbornness" in an interview with the "Münchner Merkur/tz" media group.

Above all, the fact that Friedrich accepted the large crystal globe for the overall World Cup title at the final World Cup stop in Lillehammer, despite Wulff's positive test from the opening weekend in Altenberg, is a thorn in Lochner's side. "If I had been Franz, I would have said: Take the globe right away," said the 34-year-old, who may still be awarded his first overall World Cup title at the green table. Friedrich is (still) at eight.

Pusher Wulff was banned for 21 months last week after the former athlete was found to have the banned substance methylhexanamine in a sample taken in early December 2024. Whether the ban will have retroactive effects on the three World Cup rankings (two-man, four-man, and overall) last season, all of which Friedrich won ahead of Lochner, is "possible," according to a statement from the Bobsleigh and Luge Association of Germany (BSD).

"I should be the overall World Cup winner by now," Lochner said, adding that he has "nothing official from the federation." However, Lochner, who plans to end his career after the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo in February, said that being awarded the title retroactively more than half a year later "doesn't matter." The moment of the trophy presentation is over; it's "about the principle."

About a year ago, there had already been friction between the two world-class bobsleigh pilots. Lochner had accused his rival Friedrich of attempting to win over Lochner's top pusher, Georg Fleischhauer, and thus violating a "tacit agreement."