Gold on a Winding Road: The Luge Journey of DiGregorio and Hollander
Lake Placid (FIL/30 May 2025) In a sport where hundredths of a second separate triumph from disappointment, success isn’t just measured in podiums and medals. For American doubles luge athletes Zachary Di Gregorio and Sean Hollander, the journey itself has become a symbol of their resilience — one marked by setbacks, reinvention, and opportunities.
A Difficult Start in Doubles
Their career as a duo began relatively recently, in the 2021/22 season. DiGregorio had just come off a stint in singles, as had Hollander, and their transition into doubles came with plenty of growing pains. Their first international race as a team was at the World Cup in Yanqing, China, where they placed 23rd. Five more finishes outside the top ten followed, and they ended the season ranked 26th overall — sixth from the bottom.
But just months later, the same track would tell a different story. At the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, they dramatically improved their time to 1:58.515, nearly three seconds faster than their previous best in World Cup competition, and left the Games with a new sense of potential, placing 11th in doubles and seventh with the U.S. Team Relay.
The Mentor Behind the Rise
Much of their improvement can be credited to hard work and a little help from an unexpected source: a former U.S. doubles star Jayson Terdiman. Terdiman having narrowly missed his third Olympic berth, provided DiGregorio and Hollander his newly purchased sled — what he called his “secret weapon”, while also providing guidance as the duo prepared for the 2022 Olympic Games. “That meant the world to us,” said DiGregorio. “He didn’t just help us with his sled — he gave us guidance every single week. He was always the best teammate, and a great role model.”
Breakthrough and Success
Their results soon followed suit. In 2022/23, the young Americans won gold at the U23 World Championships in Oberhof. The following season, they captured their first World Cup victory on home ice at the 2023 World Cup in Lake Placid, marking the first World Cup gold medal in men’s doubles for Team USA since 2025. The duo had five top ten finishes throughout the season and placed seventh overall in the points standings.
Not everything went smoothly, however. At the 2024 World Championships in Altenberg, they placed only 21st, missing the cut for the second run and falling behind fellow Americans Dana Kellogg and Frank Ike.
Looking Ahead: Milano Cortina 2026
Rather than being discouraged, the pair are focused on redemption and looking further ahead to the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan-Cortina. “We’ve got what it takes to reach the podium,” said DiGregorio. “We’ve got a fast start, we can drive well enough, and we believe our coaches can give us a sled to get there. The challenge is putting all three together — mentally, physically, and mechanically — while staying injury-free.”
Two Athletes, One Vision
DiGregorio and Hollander come from different backgrounds but share the same determination. Sean Hollander, raised in Lake Placid, was introduced to luge through an elementary school after-school program. “I loved the speed and the technical side of it,” he said. “There’s always something to improve.”
Zack DiGregorio, from Massachusetts, got his start through a U.S. sliders search program. Moving away from home at a young age, he says, shaped his character. “It was a different kind of growing up — but it taught me a lot of life lessons.”
Both believe their friendship and mutual respect have helped them thrive. “We know each other’s driving styles inside and out,” said DiGregorio. “That’s been a huge advantage.” Hollander agrees: “Switching to doubles later in our careers let us combine everything we learned from singles. That gave us a fresh perspective — and a real edge.”
The Next Chapter
Although they are still at the beginning of their doubles career, DiGregorio and Hollander have already shown they can compete with the best. If they make it onto the podium at the Winter Olympics or World Championships, they will surpass the achievements of the Terdiman and Mazdzer team, who never won a medal in the doubles at World Championships or Winter Olympics.
The torch has clearly been passed — and these two are ready to carry it all the way to the top.
