Austrian Bobsleigh Driver Rushed To Hospital After Terrifying Winter Olympics Crash Delays Event

Michael Madrid-Imagn Images

Austrian Bobsleigh Driver Rushed To Hospital After Terrifying Winter Olympics Crash Delays Event

Originally posted on Total Pro Sports | By Arnab Mondal | Last updated Feb 21, 2026 5:27 PM ET

Austria’s Jakob Mandlbauer was taken off the track on a stretcher after a hard crash during the four-man bobsleigh final at the Winter Olympics on Saturday.

Mandlbauer was driving in the second heat when his sled flipped onto its side and kept sliding at high speed. It scraped along the wall and did not slow down right away. His teammates Daniel Bertschler, Sebastian Mitterer, and Daiyehan Nichols-Bardi tucked their heads inside as the sled hurtled around the curve.

Officials ran to the sled after it stopped near the finish line in Cortina d’Ampezzo. The crowd went quiet, and people watching at home shared their worries as medical staff surrounded the team.

Bertschler, Mitterer, and Nichols-Bardi were able to get out on their own. Mandlbauer did not get up. Bernhard Unterkofler, the chief medical officer for the Austrian Olympic Committee, treated him at the track. Medics then took him to the hospital.

The AOC later said Mandlbauer is in stable condition and can move all of his arms and legs.

Crash Halts Olympics Action As Medics Step In

The crash forced officials to pause the Olympics event. Volunteers worked fast to repair deep marks in the ice. They cleared debris and checked the track before they allowed racing to resume.

Bertschler said the Olympics team had already struggled at the same turn during training. “The entry wasn’t perfect, so there wasn’t much we could do towards the end,” he said. “We were glad that the Austrian Olympic Committee doctor was there immediately and took care of us.”

Prova interrompida no Bobsled ⚠️

O trenó da Áustria, pilotado por Jakob Mandlbauer, capotou e desceu boa parte da pista de lado

Os outros três integrantes deixaram o trenó sem maiores complicações. O piloto recebe atendimento ainda na pista.

Fica a torcida pela recuperação do… pic.twitter.com/cSh18fI8fa
— Limite Olímpico (@LimiteOlimpico) February 21, 2026

Commentators on TNT Sports reacted in real time. “I think it’s the driver,” one said. I think he’s so far forward that they can’t lift the sled from the wall. The others are all sort of buried in the sled. The driver who has his head out most and in a crash, he tries to get out as quickly as he can but you are doing 70, 80, 90 miles an hour and being bounced around.”

Two-time Olympics bobsledder John Jackson spoke on the BBC after the incident. “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,” he said. “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.”

Officials eliminated the Austrian team because they could not finish the run. Later, a French sled also crashed, but all four members walked away without injury.

Racing continued after crews secured the track, but the sight of Mandlbauer on a stretcher left a mark on the day.

This article first appeared on Total Pro Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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