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Of course - who else, if not Francesco Friedrich, should win the last race of this extraordinary season?
Especially since it was held on its home track in Altenberg.
Anything other than defending the title at the world championships in the four-man bobsleigh would have been the sensation of the pre-Olympic winter.
But the Dominator did not give up this nakedness in the magical snow-covered Eastern Ore Mountains.
With an “unbelievable sovereignty”, as national coach Gerd Leopold put it, the Saxon steered the heavy vehicle and his strong backers through the treacherous artificial ice maze at the weekend and was celebrated as champion by his crew for the fourth time in a row.
The host of fans and friends who celebrated Friedrich twelve months ago in the same place during his victory runs on the piste were only allowed to do so this time, due to the corona, from the TV armchair at home.
The first absence of spectators in the 91-year World Cup history of the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) did not diminish the exuberant joy of the triumphant.
Francesco Freidrich and his passengers are happy about the renewed victory
Source: AP / Matthias Schrader
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“Of course everything would be even more emotional if we had had this indescribable enthusiasm again.
Which athlete doesn't like to enjoy the bath in the crowd when their dreams have come true? ”Replied Friedrich with a broad grin.
"Ultimately, however, the decisive factor is that we are right at the top, and we succeeded again."
In fact, it was an impressive show of strength by the 30-year-old and his crew: four times the start and four times the best time - Friedrich was able to do more with his pushers Thorsten Margis (31), Candy Bauer (34) and Alexander Schüller (23) with whom he was had already triumphed in the two-man bobsleigh seven days ago, did not humiliate the competition.
The newly crowned world champions themselves were not as delighted with their performance as one would expect given their superiority.
Problems at startup
In the first and second round, the hotspurs failed at the start, sprinted way too far and so only with difficulty got halfway lightly into the bobsleigh, which began to lurch due to the hectic boarding.
But Friedrich - with his admirable sensitivity on the steering ropes - maneuvered the bulky sled back into the ideal line.
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"The boys wanted too much, they were simply over-motivated," Leopold tried to explain the scare moments that had not yet been experienced in the Friedrich Quartet.
"When 'Franz' is at the start, it's not just about winning for him," emphasized the coach, "he always wants to set top marks, as the icing on the cake." The best time set by Thuringian André Lange for 13 years (53, 17 seconds) the perfectionist gritted his teeth again.
But he is now the sole leader in the four-man bobsleigh with his fourth World Championship gold in a row.
At the same time, Lewis Hamilton of the Formula 1 winter immortalized himself as the first driver for the fourth time in a row as double world champion in the annals.
If you add his Olympic victories in 2018, he has already been invincible five times at the same time with both bobsleds at the year's highlight.
With the Goldfuhre on the previous weekend, he had already expanded his unparalleled winning streak in the two-man bobsleigh to seven.
World Cup record set
However, Friedrich still has to share the record of most World Cup triumphs with a total of eleven.
With Eugenio Monti.
The Italian, who died in 2003, won the two-man bobsleigh from 1957 to 1961 as well as 1963, 1966 and 1968, and in the four-man bobsleigh he achieved the same in 1960, 1961 and 1968. The legendary Azzurri benefited from the rule that was still in force at the time that an Olympic victory is counted as a world championship title .
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"This definition has existed since the Olympic premiere in 1932. It was valid up to and including 1994 in Lillehammer", confirmed the IBSF General Secretary Ermanno Gardella during the week when asked by WELT.
Monti's first places at the 1968 Winter Games must therefore be counted as World Cup victories.
Unbeatable: Francesco Friedrich, Thorsten Margis, Candy Bauer and Alexander Schüller (from left to right) in the four-man bobsleigh
Source: AFP
Friedrich had already written plenty of new chapters during the World Cup races.
Eleven victories in the two-man bobsleigh, plus four with the big sled, a total of 15 victories have never been achieved.
He screwed the record number of World Cup victories in total to 52. Without question, the federal police officer is the outstanding German athlete this winter across all sports, although a downer remains.
Second place in the fifth race with the small sled in Innsbruck in December behind his Bavarian team mate Johannes Lochner spoiled the high-flyer with a flawless record.
He saved this uniqueness for the upcoming Olympic season, said Friedrich with a wink.
His priority is clearly defined: In one year in Beijing he would of course like to celebrate twice again, something that has never been granted to a pilot at two winter games in a row.