Simon Kainzwaldner (right) celebrated an emotional victory with Emanuel Rieder. © FELICE CALABRO' / Felice Calabro'

"For you, Walter": South Tyrolean gold medal hero mourns friend

Incredible but true: One hour after Andrea Vötter and Marion Oberhofer's Olympic victory, two more South Tyroleans, Emanuel Rieder and Simon Kainzwaldner, won gold. Emotional scenes ensued.

February 12, 2026

From Cortina d'Ampezzo

When people talk about a cauldron of noise, they usually mean a seething stadium or a very loud arena. But for things to really boil over in the finish area of ​​a luge track is unusual. And yet, that's exactly what happened yesterday at 8:17 p.m.

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As the lead of the US duo Marcus Mueller and Ansel Haugsjaa, who had been leading at the halfway point, dwindled with each intermediate time, eventually becoming a deficit and thus making Emanuel Rieder and Simon Kainzwaldner's sensational gold medal a reality, it felt like the concrete beneath your feet was shaking. Rieder and Kainzwaldner, who had never won before in their careers, rode to Olympic victory in the race of their lives.

Kainzwaldner (left) with his good friend Walter Pfeifer.

After a veritable interview marathon, when the two finally got to the conversation with SportNews When the medal was presented, the atmosphere became emotional. "I lost one of my best friends two weeks ago. This gold medal is for you, Walter!" said Kainzwaldner, tears welling in his eyes. The 31-year-old from Villanders was, at the moment of his greatest triumph, thinking of Walter Pfeifer, known to everyone as "Wolze." He died in a fatal ice climbing accident on January 23rd at the age of only 29.

"I know he's looking down on me and is proud." Simon Kainzwaldner

“These have been incredibly emotional days. The funeral was just a week ago. I've been trying to cope with it somehow. It helped to know that he'll be racing with me in the Olympic race,” explained Kainzwaldner, adding, visibly moved: “It breaks my heart. We wanted to do some climbing in Cortina last summer so we could look up at the peaks during the race. Unfortunately, we didn't manage it, and now Walter is gone. I know he's looking down from above and is proud.”

Rieder is overwhelmed – and thanks his dad.

Emanuel Rieder was also overcome with emotion. "We've never won a World Cup race before, and now we're standing here with Olympic gold. It's unbelievable," Rieder summed it up. "We had a difficult last season, so we worked incredibly hard over the summer – whether in the weight room or in the workshop," Rieder added.

Rieder and Kainzwaldner raced to victory. © APA/afp / STEFANO RELLANDINI

The 32-year-old from Meransen added: “The season hasn’t gone as we’d hoped so far, but after every race, after every run, we told ourselves: the Olympics are still to come! Today we had a perfect second run, and now it’s gold.” He dedicated his sensational gold medal to his family, especially his father Anton. “I hope he’s proud of me,” said Rieder.