Slovenians and Italians celebrate at the Junior World Championships
Vid Kralj (SLO) and Tina Stuffer (ITA) win gold medals in Alpine Luge in Umhausen (AUT)
A double victory for Slovenia and a triple triumph for Italy on Sunday in Umhausen marked the conclusion of the 15th Junior World Championships in Alpine Luge. Vid Kralj (SLO) won the men’s singles ahead of his brother Žiga, while Tina Stuffer (ITA) led an Italian clean sweep in the women’s singles.
(from left) Nina Castiglioni (ITA), Tina Stuffer (ITA) and Lotte Mulser (ITA)
Umhausen (FIL/01.02.2026) Tina Stuffer and championship events go perfectly together: in 2025 the athlete from Gröden became Junior World Championship runner-up in Winterleiten (AUT), and in 2026 she won gold at the Junior European Championships in Latsch/Laces (ITA). Now her big moment arrived on the 955-metre natural luge track “Grantau” in Umhausen. The leader after the first two runs on Saturday did not let victory slip away in Sunday’s third run and claimed the Junior World Championship title in 3:42.68 minutes. Silver went to reigning European champion Nina Castiglioni (ITA, +1.08 seconds), with Lotte Mulser (ITA, +1.30) taking bronze.
The new Junior World Champion Tina Stuffer (ITA)
“The first two runs were very good, but the third run wasn’t perfect – I was a bit nervous. It feels great to win, especially because the season has been difficult for me so far. Now I know that I can still do it,” Stuffer said at the finish.
Brotherly duel in the men’s singles
The spectators in Umhausen witnessed a brotherly duel in the men’s singles. After the first run on Saturday, Žiga Kralj (SLO) went into Sunday’s two counting runs with a lead of 0.42 seconds over his two years older brother Vid. Vid reduced the gap to 0.28 seconds after the second run, and in the final he had the better end with a total time of 3:39.67 minutes, taking the gold medal ahead of his brother Žiga (+0.17 seconds) and Simon Saurer (AUT, +1.57), who turned on the turbo in the final run to secure a place on the podium.
(from left) Ziga Kralj (SLO), Vid Kralj (SLO) and Simon Saurer (AUT)
“It was a long competition – I wasn’t completely happy with the first run, but it kept getting better after that. Standing on the podium together with my brother is really cool,” said an overjoyed Vid Kralj.
The new Junior World Champion Vid Kralj (SLO)
The Alpine Luge Junior World Cup will conclude with the final in Latsch/Laces (ITA) from 13 to 15 February.
Top 3 – Women’s Singles
1. Tina Stuffer (ITA) – 3:42.68 minutes
2. Nina Castiglioni (ITA) – +1.08 seconds
3. Lotte Mulser (ITA) – +1.30
Top 3 – Men’s Singles
1. Vid Kralj (SLO) – 3:39.67 minutes
2. Žiga Kralj (SLO) – +0.17 seconds
3. Simon Saurer (AUT) – +1.57
Medal table – Junior World Championships 2026, Umhausen (AUT)
1. Italy – 1 gold / 2 silver / 1 bronze
2. Slovenia – 1 / 1 / 0
3. Slovakia – 1 / 0 / 0
4. Poland – 0 / 0 / 1
5. Austria – 0 / 0 / 1
