GANGWON, South Korea — The 2024 Youth Olympic Winter Games luge events kicked off this past weekend at the Alpensia Sliding Center, the site of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.

The women’s singles race was the first luge event, followed by the men’s doubles competition on Saturday. Men’s singles and women’s doubles races were held on Sunday.

Ellie Kleinheinz of Santa Clara, California led the U.S. squad, finishing in 18th place in the women’s singles event. The Archbishop Mitty High School student finished with a time of 1 minute, 40.014 seconds. Talia Tonn of Cecil, Wisconsin, was 11th after the first of two heats but had problems and did not finish her second run.

Antonia Pietschman of Germany won the gold medal with a time of 1:35.774. She was followed by Italy’s Alexandra Oberstoltz (1:35.326) and Austrian Marie Riedl (1:36.928) in second and third, respectively.

In the men’s doubles race, Nate Bivins of Castleton and Wolfgang Lux of Swanton, Vermont, placed 11th with a time of 1:46.132.

Phillip Brunner and Manuel Weissensteiner of Italy clocked a two-run combined time of 1:34.283 to earn the gold medal. Latvia’s Janis Gruzdulis-Borovojs and Edens Cepulis won silver in 1:34.630 and the German duo of Louis Gruenbeck and Maximilian Kuehrt took bronze in 1:35.076.

Orson Colby of Riverton, Utah, was the lone entrant in the men’s singles competition. The Riverton High School student placed 14th with a time of 1:36.114.

The gold medalist was Italy’s Leon Haselrieder, who clocked a two-run combined time of 1:32.356. His father, Oswald, won a bronze medal in doubles at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy. Austrian Paul Socher took silver in 1:32.541, followed by bronze medalist Philip Brunner of Italy.

In the women’s doubles event, Sadie Martin of Vermontville and Haidyn Bunker of West Farmington, Ohio did not cross the finish line after a crash in their second heat.

Italy’s gold streak continued with Alexandra Oberstolz and Katharina Kofler winning gold in 1:36.471. Oberstolz is the daughter of four-time Olympian Christian Oberstolz and Anastasia Oberstolz-Antonova, a 2002 Olympian.

The family affair continued on the women’s doubles podium for Austria, with yesterday’s bronze medalist in singles Marie Riedl teaming with Nina Lerch to win the silver medal in 1:37.141. Riedl and Lerch got the better of their older sisters, Lina Riedl and Anna Lerch, who took bronze in 1:37.378.

Youth Olympic Luge racing will conclude the team relay today.