Conspicuous sample from Olympic champion Friedrich's push athlete

Due to a conspicuous doping test, Olympic bobsleigh champion Francesco Friedrich will have to do without push athlete Simon Wulff for the time being. The German Bobsleigh and Luge Federation announced that a competition sample taken from the 24-year-old was found to contain a banned substance. Wulff has been "suspended from the sport as a precautionary measure until the matter has been fully clarified".

In this case, the results are not being managed by the German anti-doping agency Nada, but by the international agency ITA. The substance detected in Wulff is permitted in training but prohibited in competition. The BSD did not say when the positive sample was taken. The ITA and the international federation have not yet issued a suspension. It was not clear from the announcement whether Wulff had requested the analysis of a B sample. So far, he has not made any statement, and the presumption of innocence applies until a decision is made.

Already two victories in the World Cup

The former athlete Wulff had only joined the team of four-time Olympic champion Friedrich before the season. The Dresden native had set himself the goal of competing in the 2026 Olympics. This season, Wulff celebrated World Cup victories in the two-man bobsleigh in Altenberg and Sigulda (Latvia) as well as a second place in the four-man bobsleigh in Winterberg last weekend. He was due to compete with Friedrich in the two-man bobsleigh this weekend in St. Moritz.