After a dramatic final run in the men's doubles luge event, Italy's Emanuel Rieder and Simon Kainzwaldner took gold on Wednesday to complete an Italian sweep of the men's and women's events. Andrea Voetter and Marion Oberhofer won the women's competition just before the men's final run. 

RESULTS

The Italians' win ended legendary German pairing Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt's bid for a fourth consecutive Olympic gold in the event. 

Only 0.090 seconds separated the entire podium as Austrians Thomas Steu and Wolfgang Kindl took silver and Wendl and Arlt took bronze. 

Emanuel Rieder, Andrea Voetter, Marion Oberhofer and Simon Kainzwaldner celebrate with their national flag after sweeping gold in the men's and women's doubles luge events.

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In one of the biggest stories of the event, Olympic debutants Marcus Mueller and Ansel Haugsjaa of the United States looked poised to massively upset the men’s doubles field when they set a track record and took the lead by 0.003 seconds after Run 1. 

Marcus Mueller (USA) pumps his fist after he and teammate Ansel Haugsjaa set a track record and ended Run 1 in 1st place.

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Mueller and Haugsjaa went last on the final run, and were over a tenth of a second ahead of the field before a blip in the final corners added two tenths to their time and landed them in 6th place in the end. 

Mueller told reporters at Cortina Sliding Centre that he and Haugsjaa were happy with 6th but "definitely crushed" by how their second run ended. 

"It was so close in the end. To do all that and be 6th, you can't be so unhappy," the 20-year-old from Brookfield, Wisconsin, said. "We were in medal position... crushed, but also still happy."

The 21-year-old Haugsjaa added that the pair are confident they can build off their debut showing. 

"The speed is there. We now need to find this consistency for ourselves and find this speed everywhere," Haugsjaa told reporters. "It's not the last you're going to see of us. We're going to keep pushing."

Women’s doubles luge officially debuted as an Olympic event on Wednesday, with home heroes Voetter and Oberhofer upsetting the Austrian favorites and winning the gold medal for Italy. It is Italy’s first luge gold medal since Lillehammer 1994, which saw them win both the women’s singles and the men’s doubles events. 

Germany’s Dajana Eitberger and Magdalena Matschina took the silver medal, 0.120 seconds behind Voetter and Oberhofer. 

Rounding out the first women’s doubles podium were Austrians and current world cup leaders Selina Egle and Lara Michaela Kipp. 

Gold medalists Marion Oberhofer and Andrea Voetter (ITA), silver medalists Magdalena Matschina and Dajana Eitberger (GER) and bronze medalists Selina Egle and Lara Michaela Kipp (AUT) celebrate after competing in the women's doubles Run 2.

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Americans Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby were first in the starting order and thus became a part of history as the first women’s doubles duo to ever complete an Olympic run. 

“It was just incredible," Forgan told reporters. "We feel so lucky, and we’re so proud of ourselves to make it here and with such an amazing group of women. It's been super special.”

Forgan and Kirkby were 5th-fastest heading into the final run and stayed that way after a brush with the wall on Run 2. The two will return to Cortina Sliding Centre on Thursday, Feb. 12 for the luge team relay. 

Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby (USA) wave to fans after completing the first-ever Olympic women's doubles luge run.

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The team relay will be the final luge event contested at the Milan Cortina Games. The start time is set for 12:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, Feb. 12. 

Germany has taken gold in all three iterations of the event since it debuted at Sochi 2014. Competing on the U.S. team will be singles bronze medalist Ashley Farquharson, Jonny Gustafson, Forgan/Kirkby and Mueller/Haugsjaa.