Swiss bobsleigher has surgery after being run over by own sled
Sandro Michel (left) and Michael Vogt in Innsbruck in December
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Swiss bobsleigh athlete Sandro Michel was in a stable condition in hospital on Wednesday after surgery for injuries suffered when he was thrown to the ice and hit by the sled.
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Michel was in the Swiss four-man crew piloted by Michael Vogt which crashed on Tuesday in training at Altenberg, Germany, ahead of World Cup races.
“As a result, the brakeman Sandro Michel fell off the sled and was run over by the bobsleigh which was uncontrollably sliding back from the finish area,” the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation said in a statement.
Michel lost consciousness in the crash and was airlifted from the track. He had surgery for hip and thigh injuries at a hospital in Dresden and also has chest injuries, the governing body said.
The Swiss team said Vogt “suffered a severe concussion and bruises” and the push athletes Dominik Hufschmid and Andreas Haas also had slight injuries.
“Swiss Sliding is deeply saddened by this accident and wishes Sandro Michel, Michael Vogt, Dominik Hufschmid, and Andreas Haas a speedy and full recovery,” the team said in a statement.
“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.”
Vogt and Michel are an experienced team who placed fourth at the 2022 Beijing Olympics in two-man bob and took bronze at the world championships last year.
The pair won a World Cup race in December and are third in the seasonlong standings. Vogt’s four-man bob crew is fourth in that discipline’s World Cup standings.
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