updated 3:15 p.m. ET Feb. 12, 2006

CESANA, Italy - With thousands of his flag-waving, bell-ringing Italian countrymen in the stands, Armin Zoeggeler made sure no one who endured the frigid night air left disappointed.

And even without a medal — the enduring Olympic fate for the U.S. luge team — Tony Benshoof sounded satisfied as well.

Zoeggeler, racing on his home track, wrapped up his second straight Olympic gold medal Sunday night and delivered Italy’s first victory at the Turin Games with a time of 3 minutes, 26.088 seconds.

But the Americans remained 0-for-forever in their quest to join the singles luge medal party, with Tony Benshoof managing only a fourth-place finish — matching Adam Heidt from four years ago as the best in U.S. Olympic history.

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Russia’s Albert Demtschenko finished 0.11 seconds behind Zoeggeler for the silver, and Latvia’s Martins Rubenis was another 0.247 back for the bronze — edging Benshoof by 0.153 seconds and capturing his country’s first medal in a Winter Games.

“It would have been nice to get on the podium, but I can’t get down on myself for a fourth-place finish. It’s still pretty good,” Benshoof said, adding that he plans to be back for another shot at Vancouver in 2010. “There were only three guys that were better than me in the Olympics.”

And while the Americans are used to Olympic singles luge disappointments, Germany’s Georg Hackl felt one for the first time in his final race before retirement.

Hackl — a three-time gold, two-time silver winner — ended his career with a seventh-place finish and was out of the medals for the only time in six Olympic appearances. He was even third among his countrymen, with both David Moeller (fifth) and Jan Eichhorn (sixth) topping him in the final standings.

“That’s it,” Hackl said. “It’s finished now.”

Demtschenko closed the gap on Zoeggeler with a track-record time of 51.396 seconds in his third run, shaving 0.034 seconds off the Italian’s lead. But Zoeggeler still had a cushion of 0.124 entering the last slide, and that was easily enough.

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“I’m very happy because silver is a very special medal for me,” Demtschenko said. “It’s my first Olympic medal. I didn’t think I had a chance to get the gold because Armin is very strong and he’s on his home track.”

Zoeggeler hoisted a flag at the finish line, lifting it above his head and holding it outstretched for several seconds as the cheers from the Italian faithful rained down — accompanied by the clanging of cowbells.

“I never said I am the greatest,” said Zoeggeler, who earned a bonus of about $154,000 for his win — money he said he’d use to buy a house. “I am what I am.”

And what he’s been — at least at the last two Olympics and throughout the entire four-year cycle — is, well, the greatest.

Benshoof entered the final run 0.068 seconds behind Rubenis, who was more than a tenth of a second faster than the American in the third heat.

He was the fourth-to-last competitor to take his final run, and crossed the line in 51.559 seconds — putting the pressure on Rubenis. But the Latvian saved his best run of the competition for last, coming across in 51.474 seconds and sealing another near-miss for the American luge program.

For more than four decades, the U.S. has seen many of its best lugers enter an Olympics with realistic hopes of being that first singles medalist — and then watch them leave empty-handed.

Heidt was a surprising fourth in 2002, one spot shy of the medal stand. Duncan Kennedy was 10th in 1992, then fourth at the midway point of the 1994 competition — but crashed midway through a speedy third run and lost his medal hopes. Wendel Suckow was fifth that year and sixth in 1998.

The women’s team hasn’t been immune from near-misses, either. Cammy Myler brought big dreams to four Olympics; she never finished better than fifth. Bonny Warner was touted as a major hopeful in 1988, but managed only a sixth-place showing.

After Benshoof, Jonathan Myles was the top American finisher, winding up in 18th place. Christian Niccum was all smiles as he waved a small American flag following his final run; he was 23rd.

Canada’s Ian Cockerline was the only racer in the 36-man field to not finish; he crashed in his fourth run, prompting workers to repair some ice that got chewed up as he skidded around the surface — a delay that added about 25 minutes to the leaders’ wait for their final, medal-deciding slides.

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