Bobsleigh star Francesco Friedrich’s โฃteam โhas been stripped of a โคworld Cup victory following a doping violation by teammate โฃSimonโค Wulff, handing the win to Johannes Lochner. The decision comes as Wulff faces โคa 21-month suspension stemming from a positive doping test.
The case centers around a โprohibited substance detected in Wulff’s sample, though the athlete, cooperating with investigators, has been โunableโ to determineโ its origin. โThe retroactive ban, effective since december 2024 and extending to September 2026, definitively rules Wulff out โขof contention for the 2026 Winter Olympics and prevents his return to competition before September 7, 2026. While the โteam’s result in Altenberg was annulled, Lochner has voiced criticism that the sanction doesn’t go far enough, as Wulff also competed in Sigulda and Winterberg, raising questions about the validity of those results.โ
Despite extensive examination, Wulff coudl not identify the source of the banned substance found in โhis system, โaccording to โreports. The โขsuspension, beginning in December 2024, โwill last until September 2026. This disqualification impacts Friedrich’s competitive standing, specifically costing him the World Cup win now awarded toโ Lochner.
Lochner expressedโ concerns that the โdisciplinary action was โฃlimited, noting โthat only the Altenberg race result โขwas overturned despite Wulff’s participation in additional competitions. He indicated itโ is improbable further results will be invalidated.