Gold in the women's singles, gold in the men's singles, and gold in the team event for Italy at the 38th FIL Junior European Championships in natural track luge on Saturday evening in Latsch/Laces (ITA). The only gold medal that did not go to Italy was in the doubles event, which was won by Slovakia. The championships marked both the highlight and the conclusion of the 2024/2025 season for junior athletes.
Gold medal for Alex Oberhofer (ITA)
Latsch/Laces (FIL, 15.02.2025) – The host nation made its mark on the championship races on the Gumpfrei luge track. Alex Oberhofer (ITA) secured the gold medal with the fastest time in both runs, finishing with a total time of 2:02.87 minutes. He was followed by Florian Freigassner (AUT/+2.08 seconds) and Anton Gruber Genetti (ITA/+2.42).
(from left) Florian Freigassner (AUT), Alex Oberhofer (ITA) and Anton Gruber Genetti (ITA), front row Andreas Hofer (ITA) and Michael Noah Tinzl (ITA)
"Latsch is my track; I'm always fast here. That I managed to win by two seconds is perhaps a bit much, but I really wanted this medal," said the 19-year-old after claiming his first victory at a Junior European Championship.
Gold medal for Tina Stuffer (ITA)
In the women’s singles, a thrilling three-way battle emerged after the first run. Halfway leader Jenny Castiglioni (ITA) was just 0.01 and 0.03 seconds ahead of her closest rivals, Tina Stuffer (ITA) and Nina Castiglioni (ITA), respectively. With an outstanding second run, Stuffer secured her first Junior European Championship title with a total time of 2:06.15 minutes, ahead of Jenny Castiglioni (+0.62 seconds) and Nina Castiglioni (+0.68).
(from left) Jenny Castiglioni (ITA), Tina Stuffer (ITA) and Nina Castiglioni (ITA), fron row Lotte Mulser (ITA) and Naomi Thöni (AUT)
"I'm speechless, to be honest. I felt really good today, and I wasn’t even nervous before the second run. The season hasn't gone perfectly for me, which makes this medal all the more special," Stuffer said.
The doubles event on Friday evening provided a dramatic finish. Until the final intermediate time, the leaders of the overall Junior World Cup, Anton Gruber Genetti/Jakob Gruber Genetti (ITA), were in the lead. However, a mistake in the final curve cost the brothers the gold medal, and they finished with a time of 1:10.75 minutes—just 0.01 seconds behind Gabriel Halcin/Samuel Halcin (1:10.74 minutes). This secured Slovakia’s first-ever gold medal in natural track luge. "It’s indescribable; we have a fantastic team and always support each other. With such a narrow margin, luck played a role, but luck is part of sport," said Gabriel Halcin at the finish line. Bronze went to Poland’s Konrad Plonka/Nikolas Dawidowski (+2.77 seconds). However, the victory for Halcin/Halcin was not entirely unexpected, as the brothers had already won the opening race of the Junior World Cup season in Winterleiten (AUT) in December.
Histoic gold medal for Gabriel and Samuel Halcin (SVK)
In the final team event, Italy (Stuffer/Oberhofer) triumphed over Austria (Naomi Thöni/Freigassner) and Germany (Magdalena Enig/Vincent Streit).
Top 3 Men’s Singles
1. Alex Oberhofer (ITA) – 2:02.87 minutes
2. Florian Freigassner (AUT) – +2.08 seconds
3. Anton Gruber Genetti (ITA) – +2.42
Top 3 Women’s Singles
1. Tina Stuffer (ITA) – 2:06.15 minutes
2. Jenny Castiglioni (ITA) – +0.62 seconds
3. Nina Castiglioni (ITA) – +0.68
Top 3 Doubles
1. Gabriel Halcin/Samuel Halcin (SVK) – 1:10.74 minutes
2. Anton Gruber Genetti/Jakob Gruber Genetti (ITA) – +0.01 seconds
3. Konrad Plonka/Nikolas Dawidowski (POL) – +2.77
Medal Table – 38th Junior European Championships 2025
1. Italy – 3/2/2
2. Slovakia – 1/0/0
3. Austria – 0/2/0
4. Poland/Germany – 0/0/1
