Latvian bobsled pilot Renārs Grantiņš has returned to training this autumn following a cervical spine crash during a training run, though national team coach Sandis Prūsis confirmed he is not counting on him for at least the first half of the season.
Emergency Surgery and Hospitalization in Cortina
Grantiņš suffered the traumatic injury during a training session on the Milano-Cortina Olympic tracks, an incident that immediately transformed his second full bobsleigh season into a medical emergency. Transported first to Cortina hospital, medical staff informed him that a vertebra had displaced and required immediate surgical intervention—a diagnosis that triggered an involuntary emotional response. “At first it was difficult, especially the first moment when they took me to the Cortina hospital and told me that the vertebra had slipped and surgery had to be performed immediately. That was immediately an uncontrollable flow of tears,” Grantiņš recalled to lsm.lv. Accompanied by doctor Jānis Kaupe, who helped him manage the crisis, Grantiņš was transferred to a hospital in Treviso for the operation.
Rehabilitation Milestones at Vaivari National Center
By March, Grantiņš checked into the Vaivari National Rehabilitation Center to begin rebuilding his physical capacity from the ground up. Over subsequent months, targeted physical therapy restored near-equal strength between his left and right arms, with his triceps muscle recovering 99 percent of its pre-injury function alongside major improvements in spinal and back musculature. Neck strength testing showed a dramatic rebound from an initial measured resistance of six kilograms under safe load limits to triple that capacity during recent evaluations. While overall physical metrics remain short of uninjured teammates, Grantiņš noted his current condition surpasses last year’s baseline due to delayed training schedules.
Prūsis Does Not Count on Grantiņš for Early Season
“I had a pretty serious conversation with Renārs about what to do next,” Prūsis told jauns.lv. “First of all, he himself has to understand if he wants to risk his health for the sake of sport and if it is necessary. Then we will have to make a decision together. Right now I am not counting on him at least in the first half of the season.” Consequently, the Latvian national team will open its schedule without Grantiņš while monitoring his progress for a potential later return.
Grantiņš Reevaluates Priorities and Plans Return to Sliding
Lying in intensive care as anesthesia wore off, Grantiņš reevaluated his priorities away from pure athletics toward education and long-term career stability outside of bobsleigh. “I came to the conclusion that this is what I do. You have to be a little more careful not only in terms of driving, but just careful. I also thought about education and work, because I was close to becoming disabled, and that must be realized,” he told lsm.lv. Looking toward winter competition, the pilot plans to ease back into sliding behind pilot Jēkabs Kalenda to measure physical tolerance in Sigulda and Altenberg before targeting full racing stability.
,autocrop(1200:630))