Park City athlete Matt Greiner slides luge in the Milano Cortina Olympics

Park City luge athlete Matt Greiner at the 2026 Olympic Games. Photo: Michele Roepke // TownLift

CORTINA, Italy — Matthew Greiner from Park City was thrilled to luge in the Individual Mens race the Milano Cortina Olympics, his first Games. 

“This has been the greatest week of my life,” he told TownLift in the finish area after his event. “I’m so thankful to be here, 100% stoked this whole time.”

His parents, Adrienne and Jeff, weren’t the only ones who knew this was the party to join, with the booming music echoing throughout the mountain town under the night sky, as former IOC President, Thomas Bach, was in attendance too.

Results were relative for Greiner, who was pleasantly surprised to have made it through elimination to get the chance to slide in the fourth and final run. While the gold medal went to Germany, silver to Austria, and bronze to Italy, Greiner’s placement in 20th was, for him, simply a once-in-a-lifetime-experience.

“I’ve never seen so many people at a luge race,” he said. “Coming through the corners I can actually hear the roar of the crowd as I’m going by, it’s an incredible feeling.”

His first run was his fastest clocking in at 53.814 seconds, putting him in 15th place. For run two he slid 53.916 finishing in 18th. After the third, he ended in 19th with a 53.936, and his fourth run was a 54.176. Luge is the only sport timed to the thousandth of a second.

Perhaps his first run being his fastest is attributable to the adrenaline still coursing through his veins from the Opening Ceremony. “We were walking down past the Olympic flame, and my parents had told me that their seats were right next to it. At first I didn’t see them, and started to get all sad because I thought they left or something, because it was really late,” Greiner said. “And then I saw my mom, and I sprinted over to her, and I hugged her so, so tight. It brought me to tears a little bit, and it’s kind of getting to me now again, too.”

Students at Silver Summit Academy, where Greiner graduated and where his father serves as principal, were so proud they created cards that lined the school’s halls and walls before being brought to Italy.

When TownLift asked Greiner if he had a message to the Youth Sports Alliance luge athletes he replied, “To all those future Olympians back home, just believe in yourselves, and believe in your coaches. You too can absolutely make it here.”

Greiner’s USA Luge teammate Jonathan Gustafson was the top American slider finishing in 11th with a total time after four runs of 3:34.432. 

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Italian Bronze medal winner Dominik Fischnaller got a kiss in the finish area from his wife, three-time Olympian USA Luge athlete Emily Fischnaller, who competes the following day. 

Below is a photo, of him when he was sliding in Park City, where both he and Emily slid in the Luge World Cup this season.