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Associated Press
09-03-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Del Duca's fourth-place finish for USA Bobsled at world championships fuels his appetite for more
LAKE PLACID, N.Y. (AP) — Frank Del Duca has some of U.S. bobsled great Steven Holcomb's tools in his possession. Actual tools, as in ones that Holcomb used to tune up his sleds when he was the world's best bobsledder. When Holcomb died, the tools made their way to Del Duca. And maybe there's still some magic in them. Del Duca matched his best finish in a major international race on Sunday, finishing fourth in the two-man world championship on USA Bobsled's home track at Mount Van Hoevenberg. He couldn't break through the German barricade atop the podium — Francesco Friedrich won, Johannes Lochner was second and Adam Ammour was third to lead a sweep of the medals — but Del Duca was right there all the way to the end. 'Really, really wanted a medal,' said Del Duca, who teamed with Charlie Volker to finish fourth, less than a quarter-second away from Ammour's bronze-medal time. 'I see where I gave up some time. And you just have to be perfect to duke it out with the Germans. They're a very strong program, top to bottom. And we're knocking on the door. But there's just a little more I need to do to be really, really fighting it out with them.' Del Duca is the pilot of USA-1, which makes him America's best men's bobsled hope right now going into an Olympics in 11 months. He's had top-10 finishes in 14 of his last 17 World Cup two-man races and now has back-to-back top-five finishes in two-man at the world championships. A big-stage medal hasn't come his way yet, but he's getting closer. 'It'd be nice to break that 1-2-3 German streak,' fellow U.S. men's pilot Kris Horn said. 'They're still ahead of us. But we're catching up quick.' Del Duca and Volker were fourth in all four of the two-man heats over the two-day competition this weekend in Lake Placid. 'It's lit a fire under all of us to know that we are here, duking it out with the best in the world — which means we're amongst the best in the world,' Del Duca said. 'And it's time to bring home some hardware and really put on a great race for the fans and everyone out here supporting us.' He's part of a long line of soldiers-turned-bobsledders. Del Duca is part of the U.S. Army and its World Class Athlete Program, which has helped support U.S. sliders for years. He calls it a dual privilege to wear the U.S. colors both as a soldier and a slider. 'It's probably the biggest honor I've had,' Del Duca said. 'It's something I'm incredibly grateful for. I don't take it lightly. It's an opportunity. And it's also an obligation to represent the country, the team, my family, friends, the organization, everyone I've associated with and everyone that's helped me get here.' ___
Washington Post
09-02-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Lochner gets first 4-man bobsled win of the season, Germany sweeps 2-woman World Cup medals
LILLEHAMMER, Norway — Johannes Lochner of Germany overtook Francesco Friedrich in the second heat Sunday and won a four-man World Cup bobsled race for the first time this season. Friedrich finished second and extended his lead in the World Cup four-man standings to 61 points over Brad Hall of Britain, who placed third. Frank del Duca had a 10th-place finish for the U.S. In the two-woman race earlier Sunday, Germany swept the medals again and Laura Nolte moved a big step closer to what would be her third consecutive overall World Cup title. Nolte and Leonie Kluwig won gold, Kim Kalicki and Leonie Fiebig won silver and Lisa Buckwitz and Kira Lipperheide took bronze. The win — Nolte's fourth in six two-woman races this season — gave her a 75-point lead over Kalicki in the overall standings. That means Nolte needs only a ninth-place finish in next weekend's World Cup finale to clinch the title. Germany has grabbed 17 of the 18 possible medals in two-woman races this season. The only exception was at Sigulda, Latvia, on Dec. 15, when Kaysha Love of the U.S. drove to a bronze. Elana Meyers Taylor and Jasmine Jones were the top finishers for the U.S. on Sunday in two-woman, placing seventh. USA Bobsled is planning to skip the final World Cup stop in Lillehammer next weekend, the team announced Sunday. It is returning to Lake Placid, New York, a week early to train for the world championships in bobsled and skeleton that will be held there over the first two weeks of March. Bobsled: World Cup women's monobob and two-man, Saturday in Lillehammer. Skeleton: World championships for men and women, March 6-7 in Lake Placid. Luge: World Cup men's doubles, women's doubles and men's singles, Saturday at Pyeongchang, South Korea. ___ AP sports:
