Germany sweeps 2-woman World Cup medals, Canada's Lotholz and Walkeden 8th

Germany swept the medals again and Laura Nolte moved a big step closer to what would be her third consecutive overall World Cup title in a two-woman bobsled race on Sunday in Lillehammer, Norway.

Nolte and Leonie Kluwig won gold in one minute 44.40 seconds, Kim Kalicki and Leonie Fiebig captured silver (1:44.42) and Lisa Buckwitz and Kira Lipperheide took bronze (1:44.70).

The win, Nolte's fourth in six two-woman races this season, gave her a 75-point lead over Kalicki in the overall standings.

She 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 United States drove to a bronze.

There were three Canadian entries and one placed inside the top 10, with Melissa Lotholz and Leah Walkeden finishing eighth in 1:45.21.

Teammates Cynthia Appiah and Skylar Sieben were 11th (1:45.58) while Erica Voss and Eden Wilson were last of 22 sleds in 1:00.29.

WATCH l IBSF World Cup Lillehammer: 2-woman bobsleigh heat 2:

IBSF World Cup Lillehammer: 2-woman bobsleigh heat 2

In the four-man bobsled event, 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, clocking 1:39.85.

Friedrich finished second (1:39.90) and extended his lead in the World Cup four-man standings to 61 points over Brad Hall of Britain, who placed in a tie for third with Michael Vogt of Switzerland (1:40.05).

Canada's Pat Norton, Mike Evelyn O'Higgins, Keaton Bruggeling and Shaq Murray-Lawrence were 14th (1:41.33), two spots ahead of Taylor Austin, Mark Zanette, Yohan