Park City’s Ashley Farquharson wins bronze in women’s luge at Milano Cortina 2026

Ashley Farquharson after Run 1 of her bronze medal Luge event at the Milan Cortina Olympics. Photo: TownLift // Michele Roepke

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Park City’s Ashley Farquharson claimed the bronze medal in women’s luge on Tuesday evening at the Cortina Sliding Center, making her the second Park City athlete to medal at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games.

Farquharson found her rhythm on the final run, posting a total time of 3:31.582 and edging Italy’s Verena Hofer by just 0.063 seconds to secure her spot on the podium. The bronze is only the second ever for Team USA in women’s luge, matching Erin Hamlin’s bronze at the Sochi 2014 Games.

Germany’s Julia Taubitz, the reigning world champion, dominated the field with a blistering final run to win gold in 3:30.625 — extending Germany’s remarkable streak to eight consecutive Olympic golds in the event. Latvia’s Elina Bota took silver in 3:31.543.

Fellow Americans Emily Fischnaller placed 12th and Summer Britcher finished 14th.

TownLift caught up with the two-time Olympian in the finish area in Cortina after her second run, and she said, “It is exciting. I’m very happy with the speed. I know I have stuff left out there, so I’m hoping tomorrow I can just really dial it in and let it fly.”

The Youth Sports Alliance Ambassador was sporting her glittering cheeks and was all smiles. “The track is in great shape. It’s amazing right now. The crew has done a great job, and the humongous USA crowd here at the Olympics, it is unbelievable.”

In that crowd was her mom, Stacey Ingle, her dad, Ben Farquharson, and her brother Jake Farquharson. The siblings not only both graduated from Park City High School, they both have been on the U.S. Luge National Team.

Referring to her Olympian coach, John Owen, in Park City she said, “I just want to tell the sliders in the Wasatch Luge Club that John isn’t lying when he says ‘fast is fun and fun is fast.'”

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Farquharson’s bronze follows Alex Hall’s silver in men’s freeski slopestyle earlier Tuesday, giving Park City two medalists in a single day at these Games.

You can track all 41 Park City athletes competing at the Winter Games with TownLift’s Park City Olympic athlete tracker.