CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Andrea Voetter and Marion Oberhofer hadn’t won a race this season on the World Cup circuit. They weren’t even contenders in many of them.

Ah, the comforts of home.

A little Italian ice changed everything — and the first women’s doubles luge champions in Olympic history are a pair of Italians who stared down the best teams in the world on Wednesday night. Voetter and Oberhofer won the gold medal in 1 minute, 46.204 seconds, holding off the two sleds considered to be the best in the world.

“Winning on a home track in my first Olympic Games, it’s so amazing,” Oberhofer said. “Overwhelmed with emotions for the race, and we’re so grateful to everyone who supported us to reach this possibility. To race here in Cortina, that’s amazing.”

Germany’s Dajana Eitberger — who won the silver medal in women’s singles at Pyeongchang in 2018 — and Magdalena Matschina were second in 1:46.404, and the Austrian sled of Selina Egle and Lara Kipp was third in 1:46.543.

“These three nations standing on the podium, they have been fighting since the women’s doubles went in the Olympic program, and every time we change places in the World Cup,” Eitberger said. “So, I think these are the most wonderful women today winning the medals.”

Latvia’s Marta Robezniece and Kitija Bogdanova were fourth in 1:46.796. Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby were fifth for the U.S. in 1:47.565.