TNT Sports
Nico Walther leads Germany one-two on home ice
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Published 07/01/2018 at 21:21 GMT
Germany's bobsleigh dominance shows no sign of slowing down ahead of next month's Olympic Games as local hero Nico Walther celebrated four-man victory in Altenberg.
Eurosport
Image credit: TNT Sports
German pilots have driven the country to wins in five out of the six four-man World Cup competitions so far this season while there have also been two successes a piece in the two-man and women's events.
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Walther has been overshadowed by compatriot and World Cup leader Johannes Lochner in recent outings but was back on the top step of the podium for the first time since the opening race in November.
It came after he and his brakemen Kevin Kuske, Christian Poser and Eric Franke held off the charge of fellow German and World Champion Francesco Friedrich.
The latter were fourth fastest after their opening run but laid down an impressive second effort to put the pressure on their compatriots.
And while Walther and his team were not able to go as fast, their first run advantage was just enough to take the win by five hundredths of a second.
Third went to Oskars Kibermanis of Latvia while Canadian pilot Justin Kripps was fourth.
After six of eight World Cup races this season, Lochner continues to lead the overall standings following his fifth-place finish although Walther has closed the gap on his teammate to just 39 points.
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