Italian men and women both win gold in luge doubles

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy - Italian lugers enjoyed the greatest day of their long Olympic history on Wednesday, winning gold in both men's and women's doubles hugely against the odds as the time they had put in to learn every inch of their new Cortina track paid off spectacularly.

Andrea Voetter and Marion Oberhofer got things going with two silky runs to become the inaugural women's doubles champions.

Things got even better when Emanuel Rieder and Simon Kainzwaldner, not even the country's top pair, surged through to win the men's doubles after a late mistake robbed the United States of what had looked to be a certain first gold in the sport.

Voetter and Oberhofer's victory ended Germany's iron grip on woman's luge that had seen them win the last eight singles and three mixed team golds. They are the first Italian women to medal in the sport since Gerda Weissensteiner won the singles in 1994 - the last time any non-German woman took an Olympic luge gold.

There is more of a pedigree on the men's side but it was the first men's doubles gold since 1984 and first Italian luge gold since current head coach Armin Zoeggler won his second singles title in 2006.

"It's crazy. I can't believe it, it's incredible," said Rieder. "We had a good flow and a good feeling in training but I have no words, I've lost my voice I've been screaming too much."

Voetter and Oberhofer came into the Games on the back of an underwhelming World Cup season but were right at home on the familiar ice with a fastest first run of 53.102 seconds.

German pair Dajana Eitberger and Magdalena Matschina and Austria's World Cup leaders Selina Egle and Lara Kipp piled on the pressure but had to settle for silver and bronze respectively as Voetter and Oberhofer held their nerve.

"Winning on a home track in my first Olympic Games, it's so amazing," said Oberhofer. "I'm overwhelmed with emotions and we're so grateful to everyone who supported us to reach this possibility. To race here in Cortina, that's amazing."

The victory produced an electric atmosphere for the first run of the men's event, which only increased when Americans Marcus Mueller and Ansel Haugsjaa, setting off 10th, posted a track-record 52.482 seconds to lead by three thousandths of a second from Austria's Thomas Steu and Wolfgang Kindl.

On the second run the Italians got themselves to the top of the leader board with two teams to go, then were shunted up to second as the Austrians, who took silver, failed to match them.

All eyes were then on Mueller and Haugsjaa, who seemed on course for glory before losing their way dramatically with the finishing line almost in sight, to slip back to sixth.

"Crushed; we were in a medal position but a small skid away from curve 14 just ended up costing time," said Mueller.

"We were feeling pretty good. It was just a small mistake, it was so close in the end but we are still happy . To do all that and be sixth, you can't be so unhappy. It's still a huge achievement in our first Olympics."

That slip allowed hot favorites Wendl and Arlt to snatch bronze but, for once, it was not the German national anthem floating above the luge podiums.

The sport's dominant nation, who swept all four events in Beijing, still have the two singles titles to their name but though they had been favorites to win a fourth successive team relay in the final luge action of the Games on Thursday, the Italians will believe anything is possible.

--Reuters, special to Field Level Media