Luge competition opened at Cortina Sliding Centre on Saturday with the first two runs of the men’s singles event.

Without the reigning Olympic gold medalist Johannes Ludwig, who retired shortly after the 2022 Games, fresh faces and veterans alike set their initial times for a chance to claim gold on Sunday. 

RESULTS

Here's where things stand at the halfway point of the competition...

Among those in prime position for gold is reigning world champion Max Langenhan, who topped the final training run on Friday and continued that groove when he set a track record of 52.924 as the day’s first starter. Despite a brush with the wall at the start of his second run, Langenhan clawed all the way back with a near-perfect effort to maintain his lead and set another track record with a total time of 1:45.826. 

It was quite the recovery for the two-time Olympian, who told reporters at Cortina Sliding Centre after Run 2 that he woke up not feeling 100 percent.

"I woke up at 4 a.m., had a stiff neck, was thinking that I'm not racing today," Langenhan said. "Then I went to our physiotherapist and our doctors, and they did an amazing job."

Austria’s Jonas Mueller stormed out of the gates on his first-ever Olympic run, keeping pace with Langenhan and finishing just three hundredths off the German’s time. Mueller’s second run gave him a total time of 1:45.988, launching him to the top of the leaderboard before Langenhan snatched the place back.

"There's still room for improvement, but overall I'm pretty happy," Mueller told reporters after Run 2.

Racing at his home track, Italian Dominik Fischnaller posted a 3rd-fastest time of 53.085 on his first run. The reigning Olympic bronze medalist kept that form for his second run and his total time sits at 1:46.124 ahead of the final competition day.

Latvian Kristers Aparjods posted a 4th-best total time of 1:46.334, just over two tenths off a podium spot as it stands.

Reigning Olympic silver medalist Wolfgang Kindl, who had the best average speed across the training runs, brushed the wall during his start and thus landed four tenths off the leaders and in 7th after his first run. After Run 2, the Austrian remains in 7th with a total time of 1:46.706. 

German luger and three-time Olympic gold medalist Felix Loch set the track’s start record out of the gate, but a blip in the middle portion of the track lost him time and put him in 9th after Run 1. 

"In the first run, I had a big mistake out of corner four and lost a lot of time," Loch told reporters at Cortina Sliding Centre.

After his second run, the 36-year-old was over seven tenths off the leading pace and sits in 8th overall. On his hopes to make up time, Loch understood the reality of his situation.

"Tomorrow is a new day, and I keep fighting on, and I hope (for) some more places in the front," he said. "But for a medal it will be really, really hard."

To begin his second Olympic games, upstate New York native Jonny Gustafson posted an 11th-best total time of 1:47.301. Gustafson finished 19th in the singles event at Beijing 2022. 

Matt Greiner of Park City, Utah, was ecstatic to get his Olympic debut out of the way, smiling and pumping his fists after his first run. The 22-year-old sits in 17th with a 1:47.760 total time after his first two runs. 

Medals will be awarded Sunday, Feb. 8, following Runs 3 and 4. Only the top 20 athletes after Run 3, which begins at 11 a.m. ET, will compete in the final run. The final run is slated for 12:30 p.m. ET.