USA Luge Olympic qualification process kicks off this weekend

CORTINA d’AMPEZZO, Italy—This weekend, USA Luge will begin a five-event process to nominate the 2026 Olympic Team on the venue that will host the Games in just over 70 days.

The World Cup season was to begin next weekend in Igls, Austria, but the track was not certified for the luge race due to safety concerns. The season opener was moved to Winterberg, Germany, which will also host the fourth event of the World Cup season.

The first five World Cup races of the season are usually part of the qualifying process for the Olympic Games; however, with two races now scheduled in Winterberg, officials from the International Luge Federation (FIL) granted Olympic qualification status to this weekend’s pre-Olympic test race in Cortina. The Winterberg World Cup, scheduled for December 6-7, will no longer be a part of Olympic qualifications, as having two qualifying races on the same track would be considered an advantage for athletes with more expertise in Winterberg.

Luge fans can keep track of this weekend's race via the live results ticker on the FIL website.

The current World Cup schedule will feature Winterberg from December 6-7, Park City, Utah on December 12-13, Lake Placid, N.Y. on December 19-20, Sigulda, Latvia on January 3-4, 2026, Winterberg on January 10-11 and Oberhof, Germany on January 17-18 and 24-25.

Team USA will skip next weekend’s Winterberg race, opting to train in Lake Placid in advance of the upcoming World Cup.

Following the Olympics, the World Cup season will continue in St. Moritz, Switzerland on February 28-March 1 and conclude in Altenberg, Germany on March 7-8.

USA Luge will officially announce the nominees to the 2026 Olympic Team on or about January 12, 2026.

Following race-offs in the men’s singles division, the United States National Team has been finalized for the pre-Olympic World Cup races.

Men’s Singles

2022 Olympian Jonny Gustafson (Massena, N.Y.) returns following a 15th place overall World Cup season finish. He is joined by three-time Olympian Tucker West (Lake Placid, N.Y.), who is returning for his 12th season on the World Cup tour following two top ten finishes and an overall 14th place finish last year. Two-time Junior World Championship medalist Matt Greiner (Park City, Utah) qualified for the World Cup squad, along with Hunter Harris (East Fairfield, Vt.), who placed 37th in last season’s overall standings.

After a five-race series to determine the final men’s slot, Aidan Mueller (West Islip, N.Y.), who raced with the National Team in select competitions last season and finished 29th overall, did not qualify. Only four entries are permitted in the men’s category for World Cup competitions.

Women’s Doubles

Lillehammer World Cup gold medalists Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby hope to continue their success after a five-medal haul and an overall third place finish for the 2024-25 World Cup season. Forgan (Chelmsford, Mass.) and Kirkby (Ray Brook, N.Y.) were the only U.S. team selected to participate in the Cortina track test this past March.

Also returning are Maya Chan (Chicago, Ill.) and Sophia Gordon (Sussex, Wisc.). After competing in select races last season, the duo looks to hit the podium after their first year of racing together. They finished 12th overall in the World Cup standings.

Men’s Doubles

2022 Olympians Zack DiGregorio (Medway, Mass.) and Sean Hollander (Lake Placid, N.Y.) will return after placing in the top ten overall for the season.

Graduating from the Junior National Team are Marcus Mueller and Ansel Haugsjaa, who participated in select World Cup races last season with the National Team. Mueller (Brookfield, Wisc.) and Haugsjaa (Framingham, Mass.) placed seventh overall in the World Cup rankings, despite missing several events.

Following an injury that ended the 2024-25 season early, 2024 World Championship team relay silver medalists Dana Kellogg (Chesterfield, Mass.) and Frank Ike (Lititz, Pa.) will return to round out the U.S. men’s doubles teams leading up to the 2026 Winter Games.

Women’s Singles

Three Olympians will be vying to return to another Games, with two-time Olympian Emily Fischnaller, 2022 Olympian Ashley Farquharson, and three-time Olympian Summer Britcher on deck for the upcoming season. They will be joined by Emma Erickson, who is back for a second year on the National Team.

Fischnaller (Lake Placid, N.Y.) enters her 14th year with the National Team after placing 13th overall on a reduced 2025-25 World Cup schedule, where she brought home three World Cup and two World Championships medals.

Farquharson (Park City, Utah) earned a World Cup team relay bronze medal in Altenberg last season and finished seventh overall. She will join Britcher (Glen Rock, Pa.) who had four top ten finishes and placed 14th overall in the season. Rounding out the women’s team is Erickson (Park City, Utah) who competed in seven World Cup races last year and finished 35th overall.

Races can be seen all season long on Max, Discovery+ and via the FIL YouTube channel. The Park City and Lake Placid races can be seen on Peacock, with highlights of the races seen on NBC’s YouTube channel.