Geisenberger, Vogt strike gold

Geisenberger captured the gold medal on Tuesday, ahead of team-mate Tatjana Hüfner, who took silver, and Erin Hamlin of the United States, who won bronze.

The 26-year-old Geisenberger, a three-time world champion held a commanding 0.766-second lead after the first two runs on Monday. She finished with a combined time of 3 minutes 19.768 seconds after the four runs.

"I don't know what to say," said Geisenberger, who had tears welling up in her eyes shortly after her win.

Geisenberger's margin of victory over Hüfner, who had won the gold medal in Vancouver four years ago, was 1.139 seconds - the highest margin of victory in a women's Olympic luge event in 50 years.

Erin Hamlin’s bronze also had wider significance, as this was the US team's first singles medal in half a century.

Geisenberger's was Germany’s second gold medal in luge at the Sochi Games after Felix Loch won the men's event on Sunday.

Gold in women's ski jumping

Later on Tuesday, Germany’s Carina Vogt won a fourth gold medal for Germany, taking the title in the first-ever women's Olympic ski-jumping event.

Vogt, who had led after the first round, took a total of 247.4 points with jumps of 103 and 97.5 meters for the victory.

The favorite going into the competition, 2011 world champion Daniela Iraschko-Stolz of Austria came in second with 246.2 points, ahead of France's Coline Mattel on 245.2.

New halfpipe king

In other Olympic action on Tuesday, there is a new king of the halfpipe in snowboarding after Switzerland's Iouri Podladtchikov won gold at the Rosa Khutor course, knocking off two-time defending Olympic champion Shaun White of the United States.

Podladtchikov scored 94.75 points for the victory, followed by two Japanese snowboarders: 15-year-old Ayumu Hirano scored 93.50 points for the silver and 18-year-old Taku Hiraoka scored 92.25 for the bronze.

This made Hirano and Hiraoka the first ever Asian medalists in Olympic snowboarding.

White came in fourth.

pfd/dr (SID, dpa, AFP)