by Oliver Trust
BERLIN, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- Cheers of happiness filled the finish area at the Cortina Sliding Center as Laura Nolte and Deborah Levi embraced family and friends after sealing Olympic gold for Germany in the two-woman bobsleigh.
"I am flabbergasted," said Nolte, 27, after edging compatriots Lisa Buckwitz and Neele Schuten into silver, with American veterans Kaillie Armbruster Humphries and Jasmin Jones taking bronze.
For Buckwitz, the result marked her first Olympic medal as a pilot, eight years after winning gold as a brakeman alongside Mariama Jamanka at the PyeongChang Games.
"It is a dream to compete with my family around," said Nolte, a two-time Olympic champion, name-checking her parents, Lukas and Sandra, and her brother Tom, who traveled from Dortmund to Italy for the race.
Across four dominant runs, Nolte and Levi became the sport's first women's duo to win back-to-back Olympic gold medals, following their triumph at Beijing 2022.
"It was very special and much more nerve-racking than in Beijing," Nolte said. "I had just taken silver in the monobob a few days ago, so there was a lot going on emotionally."
Four years ago, Nolte's Olympic gold came as a surprise, making her the youngest champion in the sport. Since then, she and Levi have established themselves as favorites on the World Cup circuit.
"Even though we led from the first run, it felt different," Nolte said. "We relied on our close companionship. We are like sisters, spending so much time together and sharing so many preferences."
Away from the ice, Levi is training to become a primary school teacher, while Nolte studies business psychology at Rhine-Ruhr University. They share at least one guilty pleasure.
"Our biggest shared desire is chocolate," Nolte said with a laugh. "At this level it is almost forbidden, but every now and then."
The duo described their bond as "something unique," adding, "You won't find something like us again."
Norte acknowledged the nerves brought on by Cortina's demanding track.
"Over the past days we saw how many things can go wrong here," she said. "Keeping focus and determination was the biggest emotional challenge of our career."
While the celebrations were in full swing, Nolte hinted at an uncertain future.
"I still have to convince my parents to let me continue," she said. "They worry so much about accidents. For now, we only have an agreement until the 2026 Games." ■
