DAEGWALLYEONG, South Korea — Chris Mazdzer won the silver medal in men’s luge Sunday night, becoming the first American man to win a singles medal in Olympic history.

And that wasn’t the only upset at Olympic Sliding Centre.

German Felix Loch, a two-time gold medalist in this event and the leader after three runs, finished fifth. His wobbly final round opened the door for Austrian David Gleirscher, 23, to grab the gold in his Olympic debut. German Johannes Ludwig took bronze in his first Olympic appearance at age 31.

Mazdzer, 29, began the second of two days of racing in fourth place but launched himself into second place with a near-flawless third run before sealing his medal with a solid final showing.

He entered his third Olympics ranked 18th in the World Cup standings. He was not even the favorite to finish first among Americans. Tucker West, one of the fastest starters in the world, was supposed to challenge for a medal here. But as West encountered debacle, Mazdzer avoided it through four strong runs.

The medal is the United States’ sixth all time in luge and second in singles. Erin Hamlin, the U.S. flag bearer at Friday’s Opening Ceremonies, won bronze four years ago in Sochi. The other medals were two silvers and two bronzes in men’s doubles, won in Nagano in 1998 and Salt Lake City in 2002.