Frank Del Duca of Bethel piloted his two-man bobsled team to a fourth-place finish on Tuesday at the Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.

Del Duca and teammate Josh Williamson finished .44 seconds shy of the bronze medal. Their final run on the track was their best at the Games, and their combined time across four runs was 3:41:32. Del Duca pilots the USA-1 sled, and Williamson is the brakeman.

Del Duca and Williamson effort was the second-best effort by an American two-man sled in 70 years. Steven Holcomb and Steven Langton won silver at the 2014 Sochi Games, and Todd Hays and Garrett Hines were fourth at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.

But Germany continued its domination in the sport and swept the podium for the second straight Winter Olympics.

“Well done to Frank Del Duca and Josh Williamson,” an NBC announcer said. “They did everything they could.”

Del Duca, who graduated from Telstar High School and the University of Maine, is competing in his second Winter Olympics. In 2022 in Beijing, Del Duca drove to 13th place in both the two- and four-man competitions.

Del Duca and Williamson were the only American team in the competition. Germany’s Adam Ammour, who won a bronze medal with Alexander Schaller, knew the race was tight at the top.

“Frankie Del Duca is right behind us,” Ammour said Monday. “So, yeah, there’s no room for error (Tuesday).”

Del Duca was a standout sprinter and jumper at the University of Maine. Many bobsledders have a background in track, where they work to perfect explosive starts, and he got hooked on the sport when he attended a combine for the U.S. team.

The sport is expensive, however. Early on, Del Duca sold a dream car to pay for part of a used set of bobsled runners. In 2019, he enlisted and became part of the U.S. Army’s World Class Athlete Program, which supports soldiers who compete on the U.S. Olympic team. He is now a sergeant, remote stationed at the Lake Placid Olympic Training Center. He is married with two young sons.

“Without that support, without having a consistent income, I would not be doing bobsled,” Del Duca said.

These Games hold special meaning for Del Duca. Three of his four grandparents are from Italy, and he and speedskater Erin Jackson served as the two flag bearers for the U.S. team at the opening ceremonies in Milan.

“There is no greater honor than leading Team USA into the opening ceremony at an Italian Olympics,” Del Duca told the Press Herald. “It feels like a bridge between my family’s heritage and the country I’m so proud to serve.”

He’ll get another shot at a medal this week, when he drives the four-man bobsled. Those runs will take place Saturday and Sunday.

— This story contains reporting by the Associated Press