LILLEHAMMER, Norway — Chevonne Forgan and Sophie Kirkby achieved a remarkable milestone by becoming the first American duo to clinch a World Cup luge gold medal on international soil in almost seven years, triumphing in the women’s doubles event on Saturday.

This success marked a standout day for USA Luge, as Emily Sweeney also secured a silver medal in the women’s singles race.
Forgan and Kirkby’s historic victory came as they narrowly defeated the German pair of Jessica Degenhardt and Cheyenne Rosenthal by a mere 17 milliseconds across two runs. They initially clocked the fastest time in the first heat but found themselves trailing in the second. However, they managed to gain enough speed towards the end to reclaim and maintain their lead.
Prior to this achievement, the last gold medal for USA Luge was won on December 8, 2023, during a home competition in Lake Placid, New York, by the men’s doubles team comprising Zachary DiGregorio and Sean Hollander. Before that, Summer Britcher took home gold in a women’s sprint race held in Lillehammer on January 21, 2018.
Kirkby paid tribute to her late father by writing a heartfelt message on the palm of her glove, stating, “I’m very, very proud of her.” She expressed her mixed emotions after the race, saying, “I’m really happy about our performance. It brings me tears of joy and a little bit of sadness. My dad passed away this past summer and he would have been so proud to see this.”
The Latvian team of Marta Robezniece and Kitija Bogdanova finished in third place in the women’s doubles event.
In the women’s singles competition, Julia Taubitz from Germany narrowly defeated Sweeney by just about one-tenth of a second. Sweeney, however, made a strong showing by setting a new track record in her second run, which secured her the silver medal. Austria’s Lisa Schulte rounded out the top three. The American team showcased impressive performance overall, with three sliders finishing in the top eight; Britcher secured sixth place and Ashley Farquharson finished eighth.
Sweeney reflected on the day’s achievements, stating, “It’s really an extraordinary day.”
In the men’s doubles race, German duo Toni Eggert and Florian Mueller claimed victory, while Latvia’s Martins Bots and Roberts Plume took second place, and the Austrian pair of Thomas Steu and Wolfgang Kindl came in third.
The U.S. also had two teams place in the top ten of the men’s doubles event: Dana Kellogg and Frank Ike finished in eighth, and DiGregorio and Hollander came in two spots behind them.
The World Cup weekend in Lillehammer will conclude on Sunday with upcoming races in men’s singles, mixed doubles, and mixed singles.