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Ashley Farquharson raced to Olympic glory in luge on Tuesday at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics.
The American luger became emotional when she checked the scoreboard and realized she earned her first Olympic medal. Her performance in the women’s luge singles on Tuesday also marked just the second time an American has won an Olympic medal in the event.
Farquharson, who started sliding as an after-school activity when she was growing up in Park City, Utah, said it was almost hard to believe what she had accomplished.
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Ashley Farquharson of United States reacts after her run during women’s single luge during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Cortina Sliding Centre in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy on Feb. 10, 2026. (Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters via Imagn Images)
“It really didn’t feel real,” Farquharson said after her victory. “And then everyone meeting me on the ice, and the whirlwind it’s been since then has really cemented it. For a couple seconds when I was coming up the outrun, I was like, ‘that’s not real.’”
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Germany’s Julia Taubitz took the gold medal, winning by almost a full second, a monster margin in luge. Latvia’s Elena Bota was second, matching her country’s best Olympic result.
Until Farquharson’s feat, Erin Hamlin was the last American to earn a bronze medal, doing so at the 2014 Sochi Games.
Ashley Farquharson of Team United States starts the Women’s Singles Run 1 on day three of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Cortina Sliding Centre on Feb. 09, 2026 in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
“This was the dream,” Taubitz said. “And now the dream comes true.”
Farquharson didn’t medal in any of her first 54 World Cup races before finally breaking through this season.
She wasn’t the fastest, but she was more than good enough. She’s an Olympic medalist. Farquharson’s ability will never be questioned again.
“Super happy for Ashley, very happy for USA Luge,” longtime U.S. teammate Emily Fischnaller said. “I mean, we are the ones on the sled, but there’s a team behind us with everything that we do. So, that’s just a testament to all the work that everyone has put into it.”
Bronze medallist Ashley Farquharson of United States celebrates after women’s single luge during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Cortina Sliding Centre on Feb 10, 2026 in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. (Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters via Imagn Images)
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Luge is a sport in which athletes slide on their backs on sleds down an iced track at high speeds.
Fischnaller was 12th for the Americans in 3:33.035, falling from fifth after three runs following trouble in her final heat. Summer Britcher of the U.S., a two-time World Cup race winner this season and now a four-time Olympian, was 14th in 3:33.553.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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