US bobsleigh team avoid serious injuries after 'disaster' moment in World Cup race at St Moritz, Switzerland
Published 12/01/2026 at 10:20 GMT
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US bobsledder Kris Horn was left "a little sore" but he and his team avoided serious injuries after a horror moment saw three sliders fail to board the sled during Sunday's World Cup race in St Moritz. Horn hurtled down the track solo, reaching speeds of 75mph, and had to slide to the back of the sled on the final straight to pull the brakes as he survived a frightening ride relatively unscathed.
'Just wow!' - Three US bobsledders fail to get into sled - leaving solo rider
Video credit: TNT Sports
A four-man US bobsleigh team avoided serious injuries after three team-mates failed to make it into the sled, leaving driver Kris Horn riding solo down the track in St Moritz, Switzerland.
The World Cup race descended into frightening scenes when the three sliders - Ryan Rager, Hunter Powell and Caleb Furnell - all struggled to get into the sled while moving at pace following the push start.
After Horn took his position, the rest of the team looked to follow, and Rager appeared first to struggle, as he stumbled with his right leg in the sled.
Unable to climb in, Rager fell out of the sled, and his struggles hampered Powell behind him, who was subsequently thrown along the ice wall and into the surrounding wooden poles.
Furnell, meanwhile, seemed to just drop out of the back after seeing his team-mates fall - with the trio sliding down the track behind the sled, as it hurtled on its way with only Horn inside.
None of the sliders were seriously injured and X-rays were returned negative - per The Associated Press (AP).
Without the weight of his team-mates to stabilise the sled, Horn flew down the course in an uncontrolled manner, reaching a speed of around 75 mph (120 kph) during the run which lasted over a minute.
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'Just wow!' - Three US bobsledders fail to get into sled - leaving solo rider
Video credit: TNT Sports
"Kris Horn is on his own, absolute disaster for the Americans, they can’t believe it," Martin Haven said on TNT Sports' commentary.
"Running it all the way down into turn one is always what the American four-man teams have done, and it has its perils.
"For a driver with so little experience of this track, what a job he’s doing. He has no idea who is left in the sled, and has to get to the brakes. Just, wow. I wish he never has another day like that, goodness me. This is one that will be shown time and time again."
On the final straight, Horn looked behind and shuffled to the back of the sled - the position typically occupied by Furnell - to hit the brakes and bring himself to a halt, when he was immediately surrounded by members of other teams, seemingly to check he was okay.
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"A little sore," Powell told AP. "I should be fine in a couple days."
It had been a weekend full of challenges for Horn, who crashed out of Saturday's two-man World Cup event - which saw brakeman Carsten Vissering suffer abrasions which ruled him out of Sunday's race.
Sunday's World Cup race was the penultimate weekend before Team USA name their skeleton and bobsleigh team for the Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games - with less than a month before the February spectacle gets underway.
The 2026 Olympic Winter Games, starting on February 6, will be live on TNT Sports and discovery+
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