ALTENBERG, Germany — Three-time world champion Francesco Friedrich set a track record to win his second two-man bobsled World Cup of the season on Saturday.
The German, along with brakeman Martin Grothkopp, opened with a new best-mark of 54.48 seconds on the Altenberg track. They were fastest again on the second run for a combined time of 1 minute, 49.20 seconds, beating Russia’s Alexander Kasjanov and Aleksei Pushkarev by 0.64 seconds.
Latvia’s Oskars Kibermanis and Matiss Miknis were third, 0.70 back.
South Korea’s Won Yun-jong leads the standings after three races. Won, fifth in Altenberg, has 576 points, ahead of Kasjanov on 546 and Rico Peter of Switzerland on 530.
U.S. pilot Steven Holcomb, who won on home ice in Lake Placid, is fifth on 521 points after finishing eighth in Altenberg.
Justin Kripps and Jesse Lumsden, struggled to find the fast line in the men’s two-man bobsleigh race. The lone Canadian sled in the field, Kripps, from Summerland, B.C., and Lumsden, from Burlington, Ont., placed 14th with a time of 1:50.63.
The Associated Press
