At the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, Simon Kainzwaldner and Emanuel Rieder made history for Italian luge by capturing Olympic gold in the men’s doubles event, delivering one of the standout moments of the Games for Team Italy.
The South Tyrolean duo produced a performance of extraordinary precision, speed, and consistency, mastering one of the most technical and demanding disciplines in winter sports. In a race decided by fractions of a second, Kainzwaldner and Rieder combined explosive starts with flawless synchronization, maintaining composure under pressure and finishing ahead of the pre-Games favourites.
Simon triumph represents the culmination of years of dedication, challenges and the research of continuous technical growth within the Italian luge team. He deeply connected to the strong winter sports tradition of South Tyrol to become benchmarking for the Italian national team thanks to his competitive consistency on the World Cup circuit.
Beyond the sporting achievement, the gold medal carries enormous symbolic value for Italian winter sports. Winning Olympic gold on home soil brought unprecedented visibility to a discipline that embodies technical excellence, courage, and precision, while further confirming Italy’s growing role in international ice-track sports.
With this historic victory, Simon Kainzwaldner and Emanuel Rieder officially enter the history of Italian Olympic sport, leaving a lasting legacy at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
