OLYMPICS: Bobsleigh-Austria's Mandlbauer discharged from hospital after crash

Austrian bobsleigh pilot Jakob Mandlbauer has been discharged from the hospital following a back injury sustained in a crash at the Winter Olympics, the Austrian Olympic Committee said on Tuesday.

The 27-year-old left Salzburg Accident Hospital after undergoing a thorough check-up and receiving treatment for an intervertebral disc injury, which occurred during the four-man bobsleigh event in Cortina on Saturday.

“The pain is still there, but it’s improving every day. I’m glad to be back home now,” Mandlbauer said. He is scheduled to begin physiotherapy next week.

“We’re optimistic that we can get everything back on track with physiotherapy. But I also know this won’t happen overnight,” he added.

Mandlbauer’s sled flipped upside down during Saturday’s race, one of three crashes that caused multiple delays. His three teammates were unharmed.

The Austrian athlete said the crash continues to bother him as it resulted from his own mistake.

“The mistake annoys me even more now because it happened twice,” he said, adding that his full focus is now on rehabilitation.

Mandlbauer initially received treatment at Codivilla Hospital in Cortina before being transferred to Treviso and then airlifted to Salzburg on Sunday. -Reporting by Mitch Philips, writing by Angelica Medina, editing by Pritha Sarkar/Reuters