Army Sgt. Frank Del Duca, front, starts for a four-man bobsled training session at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (Alessandra Tarantino/AP)
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy – Injuries and changes to the equipment put Army Sgt. Frank Del Duca and his four-man bobsled team on the back foot heading into this weekend’s competition.
Del Duca, Boone Niederhoder, Bryan Sosoo and Joshua Williamson couldn’t make up the lost ground, finishing 12th place in a time of 3 minutes, 40.06 seconds on Sunday at the Cortina Sliding Centre.
The American squad trailed German gold medalists Johannes Lochner, Thorsten Margis, Jorn Wenzel and Georg Fleischhauer by 2.49 seconds at the end of four heats.
Del Duca said the performances buoyed the team heading into the 2030 Winter Games held in the French Alps.
“I really believe in this team,” Del Duca said. “I’ve always believed in this team. I believed in us 10 years ago when we were fighting for second runs, and I believe in us now when we’re fighting for medals.
“Considering our circumstances, we did a fine job. I know there’s more on the table for us.”
On Sunday, Del Duca and his teammates produced their fastest and slowest runs of the event.
It began with the best, a 54.97-second run in the third heat. That tied for the 12th best among the 24 teams that took to the track.
In the last heat, Del Duca piloted the team to a 55.07-second run, the slowest by 0.03 seconds. That was the 13th best time of the 20 squads that made the final cut.
The results had the U.S. sled staying in 12th, the same spot as it started the day.
The 34-year-old moved just one place forward from his performance in Beijing in 2022. Yet the Bethel, Maine, native described how he’s made even greater strides in the four-man discipline than the two-man, in which he and Williamson placed fourth on Tuesday.
“I think I drive the four-man better than the two-man,” Del Duca said. “The results just don’t always show that.
“It’s a process. I have improved quite a bit.”
Although Del Duca has his sights set on 2030 already, he also looked back at an eventful 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina.
He carried the flag during the opening ceremony, something he said he could not have fathomed when he was a kid. The results on the track made him hesitate to call the past two weeks a great Olympics, but it was unforgettable for him.
“To be the flag bearer and to be with this team and to perform with these guys and be on Team USA and be at my second Olympics and fighting for medals, it’s a dream come true,” Del Duca said.
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