Verena Hofer narrowly missed out on an Olympic medal. © ANSA / DANIEL DAL ZENNARO

Just missing out on a medal: A bitter pill to swallow for Hofer and Robatscher

The fourth run of the women's luge was not for the faint of heart. Sandra Robatscher from Tiers and Verena Hofer from Feldthurns started from the chasing pack – and ultimately missed out on Olympic medals by a hair's breadth.

February 10, 2026

From: cst

Fourth place for Hofer, fifth place for Robatscher! No question, these are excellent results – but that counts for little at the Olympic Games. Both South Tyrolean athletes narrowly missed the top three. And nobody really wants to finish fourth at a major event.

Hofer (4th) and Robatscher (6th) started the fourth run from the chaser position. Both performed well and took the lead. Because Dominik Fischnaller narrowly avoided a fall from his wife, Emily Fischnaller (USA), medal hopes rose for the South Tyrolean women. In the end, however, Ashley Farquharson (USA), Elina Bota (LAT), and Julia Taubitz (GER) delivered flawless performances. The 24-year-old Hofer missed out on a medal by just six hundredths of a second.

Ashley Farquharson, Julia Taubitz and Elina Botina (from left) celebrate their Olympic medal. © APA/afp / TIZIANA FABI

All three defended the medal positions they had achieved in the third run earlier in the afternoon. While Farquharson, from New York, finished third and took bronze, Botina secured the silver medal. Gold went decisively to Germany and Taubitz. Taubitz's lead at the finish was almost a second – an eternity in luge. A truly deserving Olympic champion.

Luge: The women's (singles) results