The municipality of Wangen in the canton of Schwyz gave local Michael Vogt an enthusiastic welcome on Monday evening. Together with his colleagues, the man from Schwyz won bronze in the four-man bobsleigh at the Olympic Games in Milano Cortina.
09.03.2026, 19:05
SDA
On Monday evening, the athletes enjoyed the march from the village traffic circle towards the school building, where the official reception took place. The roadside was lined with hundreds of people who greeted the bobsleigh athletes in the village of around 5600 inhabitants. The Wangen music club played, a delegation from the gymnastics club paid their respects and the Einscheller club shook their trychels.
With third place on February 22, the 28-year-old Vogt, together with his pushers Andreas Haas from Menznau, Amadou Ndiaye from Lenzburg and Mario Aeberhard from Einsiedeln, won the first Swiss bobsleigh medal since 2014 - and even the first in the four-man bobsleigh for 20 years. Vogt didn't win a medal, but at least an Olympic diploma in the two-man bobsleigh: he finished sixth with push athlete Ndiaye.
There were speeches on the break area from, among others, the mayor of Schwyz, Michael Stähli, and the mayor of Wangen, Christian Holenstein. The bobsleigh athletes had achieved far more than a sporting success at the Olympic Games, said the latter. "Your achievement is a sign of what passion can achieve," he said according to the speech script.
At the end of the official ceremony, the Musikverein played the national anthem before the celebrations continued in the Buechberg multi-purpose hall with relatives and invited guests.
