Austrian bobsledder Jakob Mandlbauer was carried out on a stretcher after an accident during a competition at the 2026 Olympic Games.
The first heats of the men's bobsleigh four-man final took place on Saturday, February 21. After the first attempt, the German four-man team, led by Olympic champion in the two-man category, Johannes Lochner, was in the lead.
During the second run of the Austrian foursome, piloted by Jakob Mandelbauer, their bobsleigh suddenly overturned on a bend before the finish. Three crew members managed to leave the bobsleigh on their own, but Mandelbauer was unable to do so without assistance.
Austrian bobsledding crew crash at 2026 Olympics. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse
As a result, arena workers managed to get Mandlbauer. The Austrian could not move on his own, so the 27-year-old bobsledder was carried out of the arena on a stretcher. After that, the athlete was sent to the hospital to be examined.
Jakob Mandelbauer was taken to hospital after the accident. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha
After examining the bobsledder's condition, the Austrian national team noted that “he is fine” and nothing critical to his health had happened.
Due to the accident, the Austrian team was unable to complete the race, which meant that they would be disqualified from the competition and the crew would be marked “did not finish.” Thus, they would not be able to continue competing for medals in the decisive races of the 2026 Olympic Games.
After the Austrian crew's accident, the competition organizers were forced to interrupt the starts: in addition to providing assistance to Mandelbauer, the accident also damaged the ice in the arena, so there was a risk of continuing the competition in this condition. It took time for volunteers and staff to restore the ice and continue the competition.
The final races in the men's bobsleigh foursome will take place on Sunday, February 22.