Bobsleigh rider undergoes surgery after being run over by own sled

A swiss bobsledder was rushed into emergency surgery after an incident with his own sled

Alan Baldwin
Wednesday 14 February 2024 16:54 GMT
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Sandro Michel was run over by his own bobsleigh
Sandro Michel was run over by his own bobsleigh (EPA)

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Swiss bobsledder Sandro Michel has undergone emergency hip and thigh surgery after being run over by his own sled in a World Cup training crash in Altenberg, Germany.

Swiss Sliding said in a statement on Wednesday that Michel, who also had chest injuries, was stable after being flown by helicopter to Dresden’s University Hospital for overnight surgery.

It reported that the 27-year-old was thrown from the four-man bob piloted by Michael Vogt in Tuesday’s training and left lying on the track.

The 210kg sled then slid back uncontrollably from the uphill finish area and ran over the brakeman, who is the last to jump on board at the start and is also responsible for operating the brake at the finish.

Vogt suffered severe concussion and bruises in the accident, with other pushers Dominik Hufschmid and Andreas Haas slightly injured.

Vogt and Michel finished fourth in the two-man bob at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

“The federation has left it up to the other Swiss teams in Altenberg to decide whether they want to participate in today’s remaining training sessions and the races over the weekend or not,” the statement added.

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