Austrian bobsleigh pilot Jakob Mandlbauer was transported to hospital via stretcher following a crash during Saturday’s four-man competition at the Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. The incident occurred during the second heat, as the Austrian sled overturned on Curve 7, a large, U-shaped bend on the course.
Mandlbauer’s teammates, Daniel Bertschler, Sebastian Mitterer, and Daiyehan Nichols-Bardi, were able to exit the sled and walk away from the scene, undergoing medical checks. Still, Mandlbauer remained trapped in the overturned sled for a prolonged period, requiring medical attention before being placed on a stretcher and removed from the track. Christoph Iglhauser, Austrian team press attaché, confirmed that Mandlbauer was being taken to hospital as a precautionary measure, stating, “He’s not so bad. It’s just a check. Everyone else is fine.”
The crash caused a delay of approximately 20 minutes while medical personnel attended to Mandlbauer and track officials assessed the scene. The sled slid for a significant distance – almost to the finish line – before coming to a complete stop, according to reports.
This was not the first incident for the Austrian team at the Milano-Cortina Games. They had previously crashed during unofficial training runs prior to the start of the competition. Shortly after the Austrian crash, the French bobsleigh team also lost control on the same Curve 7, though all four members – pilot Romain Heinrich, Nils Blairon, Dorian Hauterville, and Antoine Riou – were able to exit the sled without apparent injury.
The Trinidad & Tobago team, consisting of pilot Axel Brown, Shakeel John, Aundre de John, and Xaverri Williams, also tipped over on Curve 7 during the same heats. Details regarding their condition were not immediately available.
Competition resumed after the track was cleared, with Team GB achieving a third-place finish in their heat, trailing two German teams. Switzerland 2, Germany 3, Switzerland 1, and Italy 1 also posted times ahead of the next heat.
The crashes come amid other notable injuries at the Winter Olympics. American skier Lindsey Vonn was airlifted off the course following a crash in the women’s downhill skiing final, requiring multiple surgeries to repair a broken leg. Finley Melville Ives, a gold medal favorite in the men’s freeski halfpipe, was also stretchered away from the course on Friday after a fall, though he was reported to be conscious, and communicative.