Italian team rallies for men's doubles gold in luge at Milan Cortina Games, US falls short

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — For Italy, it was a double-gold night in doubles luge. And USA Luge made history, just not the kind the Americans have been waiting forever to enjoy.

Emanuel Rieder and Simon Kainzwaldner of Italy rallied in the second heat to win the Olympic men’s doubles gold medal at the Milan Cortina Games on Wednesday night, finishing in 1 minute, 45.086 seconds. That win for the home country came about an hour after Andrea Voetter and Marion Oberhofer won the women’s doubles luge race.

“No words, I’ve lost my voice now," Rieder said. "I’ve been screaming too much. I’m super happy.”

Thomas Steu and Wolfgang Kindl of Austria were second in 1:45.154 and Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt of Germany — the back-to-back-to-back Olympic champions coming into Wednesday — gave up their crown but still medaled, finishing third in 1:45.176.

They won gold in Sochi, Pyeongchang and Beijing, taking every men's doubles gold at the Olympics since Andreas Linger and Wolfgang Linger won the race for Austria at the 2010 Vancouver Games.

For the U.S., Marcus Mueller and Ansel Haugsjaa — junior world champions two years ago — were the leaders at the midway point of the two-run race, making some Olympic history for USA Luge.

No American sled had ever had the lead in an Olympic race with one run to go; for that matter, no American sled had ever held the lead after any full heat.

But a mistake in the second run doomed their shot at giving USA Luge its first-ever Olympic title, and they finished sixth in 1:45.293.

“We were feeling pretty good. It was just a small mistake ... it was so close in the end,” Mueller said. “To do all that and be sixth, you can’t be so unhappy.”

Zack DiGregorio and Sean Hollander of the U.S. were eighth in 1:45.467. Hollander raced on his 26th birthday.

“It’s tough when you put down two clean race runs, and you expect it to have a little bit more speed," DiGregorio said. "Didn’t find that speed today, but that’s part of the sport.”

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

United States' Zachary Digregorio, right, and Sean Hollander, left, arrive at the finish during a men's doubles luge run at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

Italy's Emanuel Rieder and Simon Kainzwaldner celebrate as they arrive at the finish during a men's doubles luge run at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

Italy's gold medalists Emanuel Rieder, right, and Simon Kainzwaldner, left, celebrate as they arrive at the finish during a men's doubles luge run at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

Italy's gold medalists Emanuel Rieder, left, and Simon Kainzwaldner, right, celebrate as they arrive at the finish during a men's doubles luge run at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Germany's Toni Eggert, left, and Florian Mueller, right, slide down the track during a men's doubles luge run at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — Slovenia’s parliament on Friday appointed right-wing populist politician Janez Jansa as the new prime minister, in a shift for the small European Union country that was previously run by a liberal government.

Lawmakers backed Jansa in a 51-36 vote in the 90-member assembly. The new prime minister will need to come back to Parliament within the next 15 days for another vote to confirm his future Cabinet.

Jansa's appointment concludes a postelection stalemate in Slovenia after a parliamentary ballot two months ago ended practically in a tie. Former liberal Prime Minister Robert Golob's Freedom Movement won by a thin margin but he was unable to muster a parliamentary majority.

Jansa and his populist Slovenian Democratic Party signed a coalition agreement this week with several right-wing groups. The new government also has the backing of a nonestablishment Truth party that first emerged as an anti-vaccination movement during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new term in office will be the fourth for the veteran Slovenian politician. Jansa, 67, is an admirer of U.S. President Donald Trump and was a close ally of former populist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who was defeated in a landslide election last month.

Jansa in a speech listed the economy, fight against corruption and red tape, and decentralization as key goals of the future government. He has promised to lower taxes for the rich and support private education and healthcare.

Critical of the previous government's alleged “inefficiency," Jansa said the new government will turn Slovenia into “a country of opportunity, prosperity and justice, where each responsible citizen will feel safe and accepted."

Like Orban, Jansa was staunchly anti-immigrant during the huge migration wave to Europe in 2015. Also like Orban, Jansa has faced accusations of clamping down on democratic institutions and press freedoms during a previous term in 2020-2022. This led to protests at the time, and scrutiny from the European Union.

Golob in his speech described Jansa as “the greatest threat to Slovenia’s sovereignty and democracy."

Alleging that Jansa had threatened to arrest him, Golob said Jansa's "idea of democracy is that anyone who dares speak a word against you deserves only the worst.”

Jansa, a supporter of Israel, also has been a stern critic of the Golob government's 2024 recognition of a Palestinian state.

The vote on March 22 was marred by allegations of foreign influence and corruption. The around 2 million people in the Alpine nation are deeply divided between liberals and conservatives.

Janez Jansa, center, addresses the Slovenian Parliament during a session in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)

Janez Jansa arrives for a session of the Slovenian Parliament in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)

Janez Jansa addresses the Slovenian Parliament during a session in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)