Ellie Kleinheinz

Ellie Kleinheinz
Ellie Kleinheinz in 2023
Personal information
NationalityAmerican
Born (2007-09-08) September 8, 2007
Home townSanta Clara, California, U.S.A.
Height5 ft 5 in (1.64 m)
Sport
SportLuge
Event
Singles
Medal record
Women's Luge
Representing the  United States
US National Championships
2026 Junior Nationals Women's singles
2025 Junior Nationals Women's singles
2023 Youth Nationals Women's singles
2020 Youth Nationals Women's singles
Junior World Cup
2026 Lillehammer, Norway Team Relay
Junior America Pacific Championships
2026 Lillehammer, Norway Women's singles
Empire State Games
2022 Lake Placid, NY Women's singles
2020 Lake Placid, NY Women's singles

Elizabeth "Ellie" Kleinheinz (born September 8, 2007) is an American luger and four-time U.S. national champion (Youth 2022 & 2023, Junior 2025 & 2026).[1]

She represented the United States in the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics[2] in Pyeongchang, South Korea and is currently active on the Junior World Cup circuit.

Kleinheinz attended Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, California, where she played on the Monarch's field hockey and softball teams. She graduated high school in 2025.

Luge Beginnings

Kleinheinz began her luge career at the age of 11 after attending a White Castle Slider Search in Palo Alto, CA put on by USA Luge. She was taught the basics of riding a luge sled, including positioning, steering and stopping. After showing promise in the summer program she was invited to Lake Placid, NY, in the winter of 2019 to try luge on ice at the USA Luge training facility at Mount Van Hovenberg. As one of the top young athletes from the Slide Search groups she was selected for the U.S. Development Team (previously known as the D Team).

Youth Career

Ellie won her first individual luge medal, gold, at the 2020 Empire State Games held in Lake Placid, NY.[3] She returned to Lake Placid in 2022 to claim a second gold medal at the same event.[4]

In 2020, Kleinheinz captured her first national title by winning the USA Luge Youth B (ages 13 and under) National Championship.[5] Her performance earned her a promotion to the U.S. Candidate Team (previously known as the C Team),[6][7] a developmental tier within USA Luge. As part of her advancement, at the age of 15, she traveled internationally to train and compete in Bludenz, Austria, and Sigulda, Latvia. Upon returning to the United States, she was one of three female athletes to qualify for the 2023 Asian Continental Cup in South Korea, based on her accumulated points.

In 2023, Kleinheinz continued her winning streak by securing the Youth A National Championship[8][9][10] (14–18 age group). She went on to represent the United States in the women’s singles luge event[11] at the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics[12] in Pyeongchang, South Korea, where she led the U.S. women's squad finishing 18th.[13]

Junior Career

Prior to the 2024–25 luge season, Kleinheinz was officially named to the USA Luge Junior National Team, recognizing her consistent performance and potential for future international success.[14] She competed in the Junior World Cup, racing on tracks in Winterberg and Oberhof, Germany, as well as Sigulda, Latvia. She participated in both the women’s singles and the team relay events, gaining valuable international experience against top junior athletes from across Europe.[15]

At age 17, Kleinheinz won the 2025 Norton Junior National Championship in the women’s division (under 21 years old) in Park City, Utah.[16] Her victory marked a historic milestone, as she became one of the few athletes to win gold in every national category she had entered—Youth B, Youth A, and Junior. Her four-run combined time of 3:00.871 secured her place at the top of the junior standings.[17]

Kleinheinz returned to the U.S. Junior National Team for the 2025-26 season. Despite the U.S. not participating in the first two Junior World Cup Events, Kleinheinz finished in the Top 20 overall in the Junior World Cup Points standings.[18] In February 2026, Ellie combined with Logan Barnes (men's singles) and the doubles team of Nate Bivins and Wolfgang Lux to win the bronze medal in the team relay event at the Olympic track in Lillehammer, Norway[19]—her first team international medal. Kleinheinz capped off the season by winning the gold medal and the 2026 Norton Junior National Championship in Lake Placid on March 15, 2026.[20]

References

  1. ^ "Athlete Bio". www.usaluge.org. January 16, 2024. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  2. ^ "U.S. OLYMPIC & PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE ANNOUNCES TEAM FOR WINTER YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES GANGWON 2024". www.usopc.org. February 6, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  3. ^ Bensch, Andrew (February 6, 2020). "Ellie Kleinheinz Wins Gold". svvoice.com. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  4. ^ "North country athletes bring home medals as Empire State Winter Games resume in 2022". Yahoo!Sports. February 9, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  5. ^ Cheng, Cynthia (May 1, 2023). "Luger Ellie Kleinheinz Wins A National Championship". svvoice.com. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  6. ^ Caligiore, Sandy (May 5, 2022). "USA Luge announces next gen national team and potential future Olympians". usaluge.org. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
  7. ^ Hsu, Nathan (December 4, 2022). "Spotlight: Ellie Kleinheinz, Fast and Fearless". The Monarch. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  8. ^ Sheer, Gordy (March 6, 2023). "KLEINHEINZ, COLBY, MCCARTY AND WINGFIELD WIN NORTON YOUTH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TITLES". usaluge.org. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  9. ^ Bryson, Chace (March 1, 2022). "Ice Surprise Ellie Kleinheinz Slides Into Success". SFgate.com. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  10. ^ Cheng, Cynthia (March 8, 2022). "Kleinheinz Wins Gold Sets Sights on Olympics". svvoice.com. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  11. ^ "U.S. luge athletes nominated to Youth Olympics". www.lakeplacidnews.com. December 28, 2023. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  12. ^ "Youth Olympic luge under way". www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com. January 23, 2024. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  13. ^ "Youth Olympic Games Underway in South Korea". www.usaluge.org. January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  14. ^ Howe, Lauren (May 15, 2025). "USA Luge announces Junior National Teams". www.usaluge.org. Retrieved May 15, 2025.
  15. ^ Sheer, Gordy (December 21, 2024). "Junior National Team competes in first World Cup event of the season". www.usaluge.org. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  16. ^ "USA luge athletes claim Junior National titles". www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com. March 19, 2025. Retrieved March 19, 2025.
  17. ^ "Kleinheinz, Mueller and Bivins/Lux win Norton Junior National Championship Titles". www.usaluge.org. March 14, 2025. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  18. ^ "Overall Points Standings". www.fil-luge.org. March 14, 2025. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  19. ^ "USA Luge Juniors win Team bronze in Lillehammer, Norway". www.usaluge.org. February 18, 2026. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  20. ^ "Norton Junior National Championships and Masters National Championships conclude race season". www.usaluge.org. March 17, 2026. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
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