Jakob Mandlbauer hospitalised after bobsleigh crash at Winter Olympics
Austrian bobsleigh pilot Jakob Mandlbauer was rushed to hospital this afternoon following a frightening incident during the Winter Olympics four-man final at the Cortina Sliding Centre, reports BritPanorama.
The Austrian sled overturned on the U-shaped Curve 7 during the second heat of the competition. Footage showed Mandlbauer and his three crewmates attempting to shield themselves by tucking their heads inside the bobsled as it careered down the track on its side. The sled continued sliding for approximately 30 seconds before finally coming to rest near the finish line.
Medical staff attended to the athletes once the sled stopped. Mandlbauer, 27, reported experiencing pain in his neck and back following the crash. His teammates Daniel Bertschler, Sebastian Mitterer, and Daiyehan Nichols-Bardi were able to exit the bobsled once it had come to a halt, watching as medical personnel rushed to assist their pilot. All three crew members underwent assessments at the trackside and were given the all-clear.
Mandlbauer, however, required more extensive treatment and was eventually removed from the venue on a stretcher after a delay of roughly 20 minutes. Austrian officials have confirmed that the hospital visit is purely precautionary and that their pilot has not sustained any serious injuries. Christoph Iglhauser, the Austrian team press attaché, spoke to reassure concerned observers: “Jakob is on his way to hospital,” he said. “He’s not so bad. It’s just a check. Everyone else is fine. No injury, only a check. He’ll be fine.”
TNT Sports commentator Ben Simons provided insight into the safety measures in place for competitors, stating, “We’ve got to hope he’s alright, nobody likes to see this. They’ll be getting checked out by the medical staff, they’ll all have a concussion test.” He noted that athletes wear Kevlar woven burns vests beneath their suits to protect against ice burns at high speeds.
John Jackson, a two-time Olympic bobsledder and BBC pundit, expressed concern within the sport: “As a sliding community, we all want to see each other safe and healthy and being able to laugh and joke at the top of the track. Nobody likes to see athletes crashing, and you know things aren’t right because the medics are taking a little bit longer to take them off the track.”
The competition faced delays as Olympic volunteers spent around 20 minutes repairing the damaged ice surface before racing could resume. Currently, Germany occupies all three podium positions following the second heat, with Johannes Lochner’s crew holding a commanding advantage. Team GB sits in seventh place, just 0.23 seconds adrift of the bronze medal position.
In this high-speed, high-stakes arena, moments like Mandlbauer’s crash underline the fine line between triumph and tragedy in the pursuit of Olympic glory.
