Winter Olympics suspended as emergency medics called in and spectators stunned

Austrian bobsleigh pilot Jakob Mandlbauer was carried away on a stretcher after being left upside down following a terrifying high-speed collision. The 27 year old suffered the worst of the impact during the second heat of the four-man competition after navigating a left-hand corner, causing a stoppage of more than 15 minutes to the event whilst the medical team attended to the Austrian driver.

The four-man sled had reached speeds of 117 kilometres per hour as it entered the final section of the track before losing control on the left-hand curve and veering off line. Shocked spectators looked on as the Austrian bobsleigh team's sled overturned, sending the four-man crew tumbling down the ice for some distance.

TNT Sports commentary later reported that Mandlbauer had been transported to hospital after reporting discomfort in his neck and back.

Three members of the Austrian crew managed to exit the bobsleigh but there was a considerable delay whilst medical personnel stabilised the driver. The athletes were observed repositioning the sled whilst medical staff made their way across the ice, with some losing their footing as they reached Mandlbauer.

Video footage captured the Canadian team, who had just finished their descent, appearing visibly worried after replays displayed the bobsleigh flipping on the left-hand bend. The incident resulted in the Austrian team sliding down the course to just short of the finish line, though they failed to complete and were eliminated from the four-man event.

The Dutch bobsleigh team were made to wait before their second run following a track suspension, yet managed to navigate the Cortina course without incident despite the potentially disruptive delay.

Austria's attempt was the third run since the restart for heat two. The interruption gave the course crew time to repair some of the damage caused by a bobsleigh careering down the track upside down.

Great Britain had an impressive opening heat, finishing third behind a German one-two.

Running third, they mounted a strong challenge, with their nearest competitors Switzerland 2 (54.49), Germany 3 (54.51), Switzerland 1 (54.53), and Italy 1 (54.55) all finishing behind them. In heat two, the order was reversed, with those who had competed last going first.

The Milano Cortina track has been described as a rapid course, with teams hitting speeds in excess of 70 miles per hour, or around 120 kilometres per hour. After failing to complete their run, the Austrian sled slid back into the middle of the course.

"I think it's the driver, I think he's so far forward that they can't lift the sled from the wall," the commentary team stated on TNT Sports. "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."

Another collision occurred approximately an hour afterwards, when the French team lost control during their descent.

However, all crew members quickly got up after sliding down the course on the sled's side, appearing to be uninjured.