Italy sweeps men’s and women’s doubles luge gold at home Olympics

Italy Sweeps Luge Doubles Gold Medals on Home Ice at Milan Olympics

The home crowd at the Cortina Sliding Centre erupted in celebration on Wednesday night as Italy captured both the men’s and women’s doubles luge gold medals, marking a historic double-gold evening at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Andrea Voetter and Marion Oberhofer made history by winning the first-ever Olympic women’s doubles luge event, while Emanuel Rieder and Simon Kainzwaldner rallied from third place after the first run to claim the men’s doubles title, ending Germany’s dominance in the event.

Women’s Doubles Makes Olympic Debut

Voetter and Oberhofer delivered two near-flawless runs to claim the inaugural women’s doubles crown, posting the fastest time in both heats. Despite entering the Games after a lackluster World Cup season, the Italian duo capitalized on their extensive training on the Cortina track to upset the favored competition.reuters

Germany’s Dajana Eitberger and Magdalena Matschina took silver, finishing 0.120 seconds behind the Italians, while Austrian world cup leaders Selina Egle and Lara Kipp claimed bronze.apnews

The victory marks Italy’s first Olympic gold in women’s luge since Gerda Weissensteiner’s singles triumph at Lillehammer 1994, according to Reuters.reuters

Men’s Drama Unfolds in Second Run

The men’s competition featured a dramatic turn of events. American duo Marcus Mueller and Ansel Haugsjaa set a track record of 52.482 seconds in their first run, becoming the first U.S. pair to lead an Olympic luge event at the halfway point.wikipedia

However, the Olympic newcomers faltered in the bottom section of their final run, dropping from first to sixth place and missing the podium.espn

Rieder and Kainzwaldner, trailing by 0.014 seconds after the first heat, delivered the fastest second run to claim gold in 1 minute, 45.086 seconds.espn

“No words, I’ve lost my voice now. I’ve been screaming too much. I’m super happy,” Rieder said after the race.espn

Austria’s Thomas Steu and Wolfgang Kindl took silver, while Germany’s legendary pairing of Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt—winners of the previous three Olympic titles in Sochi, Pyeongchang, and Beijing—settled for bronze.nbcolympics

Historic Night for Italian Luge

The double triumph gave Italy four gold medals across sports at the Milan Cortina Games and added to the country’s luge legacy shaped by icon Armin Zöggeler, who now serves as the national team’s technical director. Zöggeler, the last Italian to win Olympic luge gold with back-to-back men’s singles titles in 2002 and 2006, was among those who embraced the victorious doubles teams at the finish line.yahoo

Kainzwaldner shared an emotional reflection on the victory, dedicating it to a friend who died weeks earlier. “Being at home … it’s unbelievable. A few weeks ago one of my friends died. I knew today he was on the sled with me and we won,” he said.yahoo