WHISTLER, British Columbia — When his career on a luge fizzled out as a teenager, Andre Lange jumped into a bobsled not knowing where it might take him.

He drove to the Olympics.

And then better than anyone ever.

Lange, as precise on ice as when he made his sliding debut inside the rings, won his fourth gold medal in four Olympic races on Sunday, taking the two-man competition to become the winningest driver in history and give Germany another medal in what has become their own track meet.

"When I started bobsledding 17 years ago, I would have never thought of such a victory," said Lange, who may retire after the Vancouver Games. "If you told me I would win four gold medals, I would say 'You're stupid.' I wish all the pilots behind me can do this."

No one before him was as good as Lange, and no one may ever match him.

With hulking brakeman Kevin Kukse along as his backseat passenger for the third straight Olympics, Lange completed his four trips down Whistler Sliding Center's wicked-fast track in 3 minutes, 26.65 seconds, .22 ahead of Germany's Thomas Florschuetz (3:26.87), who won the silver. Russia's Alexsandr Zubkov (3:27.51) won the bronze.

Germany's 1-2 finish gave the sliding superpower nine medals in these games — five in luge, two in skeleton and now two in bobsled — to match its biggest Olympic medal haul since beginning to compete under a unified flag again at the 1992 games. Germany also won nine medals at Salt Lake City in 2002 (five in luge, four in bobsled).

And this year's total is a safe bet to rise — maybe by a lot — with women's and four-man bobsledding still to come.

Lange will be driving for five.

The superstitious type, the 36-year-old always get his hair dyed by a professional before major races. Whether it's the world championships or the Olympics, Lange get his blond 'do lightened up with the same colored highlights: Gold ones.

"Andre is the great one," said Canada-1 driver Lyndon Rush.

Lange is the first driver to win four bobsled golds since the sport first slid into the games in 1924.