01/12/26 08:48:00
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01/11 17:03 CST US bobsledder Kris Horn survives solo ride in St. Moritz, after
teammates fail to get into sled
US bobsledder Kris Horn survives solo ride in St. Moritz, after teammates fail
to get into sled
By TIM REYNOLDS
AP Sports Writer
U.S. bobsledder Kris Horn survived a frightening ride down the track in St.
Moritz, Switzerland, on Sunday, after his three teammates failed to make it
into the four-man sled at the start of a World Cup race.
Horn, the driver, got in first, as is common in bobsled. But his three
teammates --- Ryan Rager, Hunter Powell and Caleb Furnell --- all had trouble
getting in, leaving Horn to navigate the course with no other weight in the
sled and nobody to pull the brakes at the bottom.
Rager appeared to be the first to stumble, and the domino effect took over from
there. Powell appeared to get thrown somewhat violently toward the track wall,
hitting his back on the hardpacked icy surface after he couldn't get into the
sled, and Furnell couldn't make his way into his spot either. None of the U.S.
sliders suffered serious injuries and all X-rays taken came back negative, the
team said.
"A little sore," Powell told The Associated Press. "I should be fine in a
couple days."
Without any weight in the sled, Horn basically careened down the track but
still reached a speed of around 75 mph (120 kph) during the run that lasted
just over a minute. Horn drove the sled across the finish line, then had the
presence of mind to scoot toward the back of the sled and pull the brake
handles.
Athletes and coaches from several different national teams rushed to the finish
line to ensure that Horn was fine as the sled skidded to a stop; some simply
shook his hand and nodded their heads in disbelief. Horn --- whose start in
bobsledding was as a brakeman, so he knew what to do --- waved to the nearby
television cameras to show he was OK.
"We are fortunate it wasn't worse," USA Bobsled head coach Chris Fogt said in a
text message.
It was a rough weekend for Horn, who also crashed out of the two-man World Cup
race on Saturday. His brakeman for that race, Carsten Vissering, suffered
abrasions and was unable to compete on Sunday in the four-man. Rager took
Vissering's spot on the four-man sled.
There is one World Cup race weekend left before USA Bobsled and Skeleton picks
its team for next month's Milan Cortina Olympics. Horn is expected to be named
to the team as one of the men's bobsled drivers, along with Frank Del Duca.
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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
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