From Laas, ITA
(January 25, 2026) – Nina Castiglioni showed up to her first ever senior championship as a bit of an underdog in Laas, with sliders like Ricarda Ruetz, Nadine Staffler and big sister Jenny.
But in a heavy snowfall in Laas, there was nobody better than the younger Castiglioni, as she had the quick run in both heats on her way to gold in the 31st European Championships.
Castiglioni was the final slider off the top in the first heat and slid to a .27 advantage over World Cup leader Ruetz, with Germany’s Lisa Walch third as the only other slider within a second of Castiglioni.
In the second heat, Daniela Mittermair slid to the lead ahead of Staffler, then held the lead ahead of Jenny Castiglioni after Castiglioni struggled in the bottom half of the Italian track.
Walch was next. She was a tick slower all the way down compared to her first run but it was enough to slide to the lead with two to go, giving Germany its first ever alpine luge championship medal.
Riccarda Ruetz picked up over a tenth at the top of her second run, and while her second slide was good, it was two tenths slower than her first and enough to leave the door wide open for Nina Castiglioni.
For the first time in her senior sliding career, the 16 year old Castiglioni sat at the top of a track as the leader. With all of the pressure on her, Castiglioni persevered. While her second slide was slower than the first, it was still the quickest of the heat and enough to win by .4 ahead of Ruetz and a full second ahead of Walch.
“Before the second run I was a little nervous at the start,” a teary Castiglioni said after the race. “I put together two great runs and, to be honest, I’m speechless!”
Mittermair finished fourth, ahead of Jenny Castiglioni in fifth.
Results:
| Pos | Name | Nation | Bib | Start 1 | Start 2 | Run 1 | Run 2 | Total |
| 1 | Nina Castiglioni | ITA | 13 | 16.70 | 16.69 | 64.12 | 64.47 | 2:08.59 |
| 2 | Riccarda Ruetz | AUT | 8 | 16.74 | 16.62 | 64.39 | 64.60 | 2:08.99 |
| 3 | Lisa Walch | GER | 14 | 16.90 | 16.97 | 64.79 | 64.90 | 2:09.69 |
| 4 | Daniela Mittermair | ITA | 10 | 16.88 | 17.05 | 65.24 | 64.89 | 2:10.13 |
| 5 | Jenny Castiglioni | ITA | 12 | 16.88 | 16.84 | 65.23 | 65.46 | 2:10.69 |
| 6 | Nadine Staffler | ITA | 11 | 16.98 | 16.87 | 65.71 | 65.50 | 2:11.21 |
| 7 | Hannah Nagele | AUT | 4 | 17.13 | 17.15 | 65.99 | 66.02 | 2:12.01 |
| 8 | Naomi Thöni | AUT | 9 | 17.10 | 17.03 | 66.25 | 65.83 | 2:12.08 |
| 9 | Alina Schaffenrath | AUT | 6 | 17.43 | 17.44 | 66.31 | 66.45 | 2:12.76 |
| 10 | Patricija Urbanc | CRO | 5 | 19.32 | 19.04 | 71.99 | 70.92 | 2:22.91 |
| 11 | Maja Poda | POL | 3 | 19.15 | 19.15 | 73.82 | 73.77 | 2:27.59 |
| DNS | Ruby Holland-Moritz | GER | 1 | DNS | ||||
| DNS | Magdalena Enig | GER | 2 | DNS | ||||
| DNS | Felicia Hagn | GER | 7 | DNS |