Together in the ice channel – Italian doubles team Ivan Nagler and Fabian Malleier

Berchtesgaden (FIL/29 Sep 2025) When Ivan Nagler and Fabian Malleier take to the track, it's not just two athletes at the start – it's a perfectly coordinated team. Ivan, born in Brunico in 1999, and Fabian, one year his senior, from Völlan in the municipality of Lana, have been the figureheads of Italian doubles racing for years, marked by passion, setbacks, and big surprises.

The path to luge

“I mainly got into luge through my parents,” recalls Fabian Malleier. "My father and my two brothers were active on natural tracks. But when I was about 14, I also wanted the chance to compete in the Olympics, so I switched to artificial track luge.“

A year later, Ivan Nagler joined the junior team. A strong bond quickly developed there. ”Trying doubles was just a test by our coaches at first. But it worked out relatively quickly for us. In our first real season, we made it onto the podium right away – from then on, we were hooked on the discipline, in the best sense of the word."

Olympic surprise

The 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang were not a realistic goal for the two young South Tyroleans. They were planned as the fourth doubles team in the squad. But an injury to Gruber/Kainzwaldner opened an unexpected door. “Suddenly we were allowed to compete in World Cups – and were able to assert ourselves without any pressure. The fact that we were finally allowed to go to the Olympics was a huge surprise. Being part of the biggest event as such ‘small’ athletes was indescribable,” recalls Ivan Nagler. The two showed nerves of steel in the Olympic race: they finished seventh – and were the best Italian doubles team.

Doubles or singles?

Malleier was initially a strong singles luger. He celebrated international youth successes, including a bronze medal with the relay team at the 2016 Youth Olympic Games in Lillehammer. But his physical constitution made him more valuable in the doubles. "I still really enjoy riding singles in training, but my physical attributes are better suited to doubles. Nevertheless, I really miss racing in the singles," says Fabian Malleier.

Highs and lows

Since their leap into the World Cup, Nagler/Malleier have repeatedly proven that they belong among the world's elite. With the Italian relay team, they have already won three World Cup races and even European Championship gold in Oberhof in 2019. But there have also been setbacks – disqualifications, crashes, missed opportunities. “Apart from a few very fast times, I can't be particularly proud of last season. But I am grateful for the experience and also for the defeats we suffered. It's very hard to be disqualified at a World Championship, but we have learned our lessons from it.”

Malleier is particularly concerned with the issue of consistency: “I'm only partially satisfied with last season because we were very inconsistent. On the other hand, we had some strong runs. That makes me happy that we're on the right track.”

New impetus in the team

Since former doubles athlete Klaus Kofler joined as coach, the athletes have felt a breath of fresh air. "Since I get along very well with Klaus personally, my well-being in the team has improved. He brings new momentum to the team.“

Looking ahead

The competition in doubles is tougher than ever. ”The field is getting closer together every year, which makes it even more difficult to prevail. Today, the rankings of the past mean even more to me than they did back then, because it took me a while to realize what we have already achieved."

And the future? “A realistic goal is a medal,” says Fabian Malleier without hesitation. “But the focus is on qualifying—and high-quality runs on our new home track.” If the two South Tyroleans are there, then a medal is possible—on the Italians' new home track in Cortina d'Ampezzo.

Nagler and Malleier have already experienced a lot in their young careers: from the 2018 Junior World Championship title in Altenberg to their surprise Olympic participation and relay successes in the World Cup. They know how to deal with setbacks – and how to grow as a team. Their journey together is far from over.