Latvia’s Marta Robežniece and Kitija Bogdanova finished just off the podium in fourth place Wednesday at the historic first women’s doubles luge competition at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
The Latvian duo was fourth after the first run and climbed to third in the second, ultimately missing out on a medal by a mere 0.253 seconds. Italy’s Andrea Fetere and Marion Oberhofer took gold, setting the pace with the fastest times in both heats. Germany’s Dajana Eitberger and Magdalena Mačín secured silver, while Austria’s Selina Egle and Lara Kipp claimed the bronze.
Fetere and Oberhofer completed the two runs in a combined time of 53.102 seconds, edging out Eitberger and Mačín by 0.022 seconds. Egle and Kipp finished 0.259 seconds behind the Italian winners. Robežniece and Bogdanova clocked a total time of 53.614 seconds.
The American team of Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby trailed the top four by more than seven-tenths of a second.
This marked the debut of women’s doubles luge at the Olympic Games, with 11 teams competing for the first-ever medals in the event. The Latvian pair delivered a strong performance in the inaugural competition.
Men’s doubles luge will take center stage next, with Mārtiņš Bots/Roberts Plūme currently in sixth place and Eduards Ševics-Mikeļševics/Lūkass Krasts in ninth after the first run.
Latvia’s Elīna Ieva Bota secured the nation’s first medal of the Games on Tuesday, winning a silver.
The Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Olympic Winter Games continue through February 22.