Swiss bobsleigh teams dominate early rounds at Salt Lake City

Christian Reich and Steve Anderhub roared into first place after the first run of the two-man bobsleigh event. AP

The Swiss Olympic bobsleigh campaign has started in scorching form, with both of Switzerland's two-men teams finishing in the top three after two runs.

The positive start has placed both teams in a commanding position to win medals in the bobsleigh event, which will be decided over four runs of the Park City course.

In a sport where hundredths of a second spell the difference between medals and tenth place, a strong start is therefore crucial.

On Saturday, Swiss fans were given reason for to cheer, after Switzerland’s A team – crewed by Christian Reich from canton Aargau and his brakeman Steve Anderhub from St Gallen hit the lead after two runs.

Scorching start

Switzerland A started explosively, winning the first race with a track-record time of 47.52.

Their second run maintained their lead over a German team, for a combined total of 1:35.05 – just one-hundredth of a second faster than the Germans.

The second national team – crewed by the central-Switzerland duo of Martin Annen and Beat Hefti – opened their medal chase with a 47.56 run, a mere two-hundredths behind their compatriots and a fraction slower than Germany 1.

Their third placing was maintained in the second run, with a relatively slower 47.64. Annen and Hefti sit on a combined time of 1:35.2 after two runs – 14 hundredths behind the Germans.

The deciding third and fourth runs take place on Sunday, with both Swiss teams nursing real medal chances.

swissinfo with agencies