Matt Greiner grew up learning to luge at the Utah Olympic Park, and took those skills to the world stage last week, capturing a bronze medal at the Junior World Championships.
Greiner’s two-run time of 1:53.213 seconds was just under a half-second off Russian gold medalist Matvei Prestoronin and only 0.008 seconds away from silver medalist, Germany’s Florian Müller.
Greiner said the German track suited his style.
“I’m super proud of myself," he said. "I thought I raced really well. This Winterberg track is one that kinds of favors my style of sliding, and this is a goal I set from the very beginning of the season. At the end of the day, I’m always proud to see the American flag raised.”
Greiner became the first American to medal at the Junior World Championships since 2015. He has also climbed the podium twice this season in Junior World Cup races after missing two early-season events with a leg injury.
The 18-year-old has no plans to slow down, and has his sights on even bigger podiums in the coming years.
“Obviously, we have our next season of junior racing next year," Greiner said. "I’d like to place in the overall, as well as we have Junior Worlds in Bludenz [Austria] next year, and then past that, my goal is to participate in the 2026 Olympic Winter Games.”
The 2026 Winter Olympics will take place in Milan, Italy.
