CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy – Johannes Lochner of Germany secured the gold medal in the four-man bobsled competition at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Sunday, February 22, 2026, bringing his illustrious bobsledding career to a triumphant close. He finished ahead of fellow German Francesco Friedrich, the two-time defending champion, by a margin of 0.57 seconds.
Lochner, piloting the German team comprised of Thorsten Margis, Jorn Wenzel, and Georg Fleischauer, completed the final run with a time that cemented their overall victory. The win marks a fitting end to Lochner’s career, following silver medals in both the two-man and four-man events at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. He is 35 years ancient, having been born on October 15, 1990, in Berchtesgaden, Germany.
The German team’s performance caps a dominant showing for the nation in sliding sports at the Milan Cortina Games. The victory underscores Germany’s continued strength in bobsled, a sport in which they have historically excelled. Lochner’s retirement comes immediately after this Olympic triumph.
The competition saw Switzerland’s team, featuring Michael Vogt, Andreas Haas, Amadou David Ndiaye, and Mario Aeberhard, and the United States’ team of Kristopher Horn, Caleb Furnell, Hunter Powell, and Carsten Vissering also compete. Details of their finishing positions were not immediately available.
Lochner’s career includes multiple World Championship titles, including victories in the mixed team event in 2016 and the four-man event in 2017, and 2019. He also secured two-man World Championship wins in 2015, 2016, 2020, and 2023, and a four-man win in 2024. He has also achieved success at the European Championships, with multiple gold medals in both two-man and four-man events.
The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) maintains records of Lochner’s extensive competitive history, detailing his performances across numerous international competitions. His final Olympic performance concludes a career spanning over a decade, beginning with his professional debut in 2011 as a member of BC Stuttgart Solitude.
