Austrian bobsled pilot Jakob Mandlbauer was taken off the course in a stretcher and subsequently hospitalized after his practically 1,500 pound bobsled overturned throughout a Saturday, February 21, run on the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The crash occurred in the course of the second warmth of the four-man last. Mandlbauer’s three teammates — Daniel Bertschler, Sebastian Mitterer, and Daiyehan Nichols-Bardi — all walked away from the incident with no harm, whereas Mandlbauer, 27, remained immobilized within the wreckage.
Medics instantly got here to his help and he was stretchered off the course and brought to a close-by hospital after a couple of 20-minute delay.
After the accident, Christoph Iglhauserthe Austrian group press attache, confirmed that Mandlbauer averted any critical harm and was taken to the hospital for precautionary measures.
“Jakob is on his solution to hospital,” Iglhauser advised The Athletic. “He’s not so dangerous. It’s only a verify. Everybody else is okay. No harm, solely a verify. He’ll be wonderful.”
The Austrian outlet Krone reported that Mandlbauer remained acutely aware all through the incident and was capable of transfer his arms, physique and head, although he complained of neck ache. He was transported to the hospital for additional analysis whereas his different three teammates obtained therapy on the monitor.
Midway by the run, Mandlbauer’s sled misplaced management and flipped over with all 4 athletes inside. The sled continued to roll down the course the other way up, because the athletes tried to guard themselves as a lot as potential.
The crash additionally induced harm to the monitor, which volunteers needed to repair earlier than the occasion may proceed.
“As a sliding neighborhood, all of us need to see one another secure and wholesome and having the ability to giggle and joke on the prime of the monitor,” stated broadcaster and former Olympic bobsled star John Jackson on the BBC. “No person likes to see athletes crashing and you realize issues aren’t proper as a result of the medics are taking somewhat bit longer to take them off the monitor.”
Pilot Jakob Mandlbauer, Daniel Bertschler, Sebastian Mitterer and Daiyehan Nichols-Bardi of Group Austria crash whereas competing within the Males’s Bobsleigh 4-man Warmth 2
Richard Heathcote/Getty PhotosIn keeping with Bild, a German outlet, Mandlbauer was taken to the Ca’ Foncello Hospital, the identical location the place U.S. skier Lindsey Vonn was handled when she broke her left tibia throughout her Olympic downhill occasion on February 8.
The 2026 Video games marked Mandlbauer’s Olympic debut.
“I hope I can discover a line that I can persistently ski 4 occasions,” Mandlbauer stated previous to the Video games, per Austrian outlet Small newspaper. “If I can replicate my runs within the competitors in addition to in coaching, I’ll be very comfortable.”
Since Mandlbauer’s group didn’t cross the end line within the sled, the group is formally out of the competitors.
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The ultimate runs will happen on Sunday, February 22.
“It’s a harmful sport,” Nice Britain’s Greg Hackett stated to BBC. “Fortunately the boys got here again as much as the altering rooms so his crew are OK. Jakob I believe is in hospital but it surely appears he can transfer, he’s alright.”
He continued, “It’s a critical factor. We’re right here to compete, that’s one factor, however we’re all mates, all of us get alongside internationally so that you by no means need to see anybody go down and their Olympic expertise ending that manner, no-one needs to see that both.”
There have been two extra crashes in Saturday’s second warmth, with each the French and Trinidad & Tobago groups crashing out. In each circumstances, all 4 athletes walked again to the athlete space unscathed.