Dream start and premiere: Nagler and Malleier shine

Ivan Nagler and Fabian Malleier have broken the spell: The two skating aces from South Tyrol celebrated their first joint podium finish in the World Cup in the doubles competition in Park City.

13 December 2025

From: never

While at the World Cup opener in Winterberg a week ago the South Tyrolean luge stars were still absent And while the juniors took center stage, the big names returned to the competitions in Park City, USA, on Saturday night – and what a return it was! Ivan Nagler and Fabian Malleier made a strong statement for the Italians, racing to third place in the doubles. This wasn't just a dream start, but also a premiere: for the first time, the two landed on the podium at the biggest stage.

After the first run, Nagler and Malleier had to settle for fifth place, but in the final they felt much more comfortable on the Colorado ice and catapulted themselves onto the podium with the second-fastest time. They were only 0,134 seconds behind the German winners Toni Eggert and Florian Müller, while the American local favorites Zachary De Gregorio and Sean Hollander were delighted with second place (+0,051). Two other South Tyroleans, Emanuel Rieder and Simon Kainzwaldner, also competed, but ultimately finished no higher than ninth (+0,464).

Vötter and Oberhofer miss out on the podium

Double podium joy was denied to the Italian luge stars. Andrea Vötter and Marion Oberhofer narrowly missed the podium; in the final standings, the two-time overall World Cup winners were just 0,099 seconds away from their first podium finish since Winterberg last January.

Andrea Vötter and Mario Oberhofer delivered a strong performance. © Photo Hermann Sobe / Hermann Sobe

Dajana Eitberger and Magdalena Matschina, the Nations Cup winners from last season, celebrated their first World Cup victory at the top. They were followed by the reigning champions Selina Egle and Lara Kipp (+0,276) and the opening-round winners Jessica Degenhardt and Cheyenne Rosenthal (+0,508). The young South Tyrolean pair Nadia Falkensteiner and Annalena Huber achieved a solid result, finishing ninth (+1,724).

Several podium finishes still possible

The singles competitions continue into Sunday night – with promising starting positions. In the men's event, Leon Felderer from Latzfons (3rd/+0,214) and Dominik Fischnaller (4th/+0,300) are within striking distance of the podium, while Verena Hofer from Feldthurn is aiming for a strong result in the women's event (4th/+0,105).