American Ashley Farquharson captures rare Olympic luge medal at Winter Games

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Ashley Farquharson raced to Olympic glory in luge on Tuesday at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics.

The American luger became emotional when she checked the scoreboard and realized she had earned her first Olympic medal. Her performance in the women's luge singles on Tuesday also marked just the second time an American has won an Olympic medal in the event.

Farquharson, who started sliding as an after-school activity when she was growing up in Park City, Utah, said it was almost hard to believe what she had accomplished.

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Ashley Farquharson of the United States reacts after her run in the women's single luge during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Cortina Sliding Centre in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy on Feb. 10, 2026. (Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters via Imagn Images)

"It really didn’t feel real," Farquharson said after her victory. "And then everyone meeting me on the ice, and the whirlwind it’s been since then has really cemented it. For a couple seconds when I was coming up the outrun, I was like, ‘that’s not real.’"

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Germany’s Julia Taubitz took the gold medal, winning by almost a full second, a monster margin in luge. Latvia’s Elena Bota was second, matching her country’s best Olympic result.

Until Farquharson's feat, Erin Hamlin was the last American to earn a bronze medal, doing so at the 2014 Sochi Games.

Ashley Farquharson of Team United States starts the Women's Singles Run 1 on day three of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Cortina Sliding Centre on Feb. 09, 2026 in