Olympic dream finally came true for woman with Cork links

IN 2006, eight-year-old Elsa Desmond was watching the Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy, on TV at her home in Maidenhead in the UK.

She became so enthralled by the sport of Luge, that she made up her mind there and then that it was something she was going to do when she grew up.

Elsa even told her teacher at school the next day that she was gong to compete in the Olympics in Luge.

The determined little girl stayed true to her dream and through sheer grit and determination, and with many obstacles to cross, she finally made that dream a reality this month.

She is now Ireland’s first Olympian in the sport of Luge, having finished her event in the women’s singles in 33rd position, with an overall time of 3.07.719, at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

“ I finished three runs, I couldn’t be happier” said Elsa.

“I’ve dreamed of this for as long as I can remember, and I’m here and I did it, and I didn’t do anything ridiculous and end up on my face. Why would I not be absolutely ecstatic?” she said.

Elsa gained on her own personal best at her Olympic debut in the event, knocking 1.2 seconds off her best time in the first run.

“As the founder of the modern Olympics said, its not about who wins, it’s about the fight to get there, and this has been my fight.

“And I think everyone has their own story, everyone has their own journey,” said the 24-year-old, who is also a qualified doctor, a qualification which she achieved while also pursing a busy training schedule.

The sheer perseverance which Dr Elsa Desmond has displayed in order to push through all the obstacles of achieving her goal of becoming an Olympian has been nothing short of extraordinary.

Hers has been a journey of sheer grit and determination, and having never relinquished her childhood dream.

The prize at the end was that she has now made sporting history, by becoming the first woman to represent Ireland in the sport of Luge, and attaining Olympic status.

Several years went by after the child Elsa became transfixed by watching Luge on TV, before she got to experience the sport for herself.

She was a 16-year-old when she first climbed onto the Luge sled in Innsbruck, Austria. She loved the combination of speed, skill and power involved, and the exhilaration and joy which she experienced was something that she wanted to continue on to the highest level.

Elsa swam a lot and played hockey to keep up her fitness levels, continuing to keep her goal of becoming a Luge athlete firmly in her sights.

She attended a camp run by the British Army, and was initially part of the British team, but when her coach changed, she decided that she would switch to represent Ireland instead.

Her Dad Brendan is Irish, and he grew up in London. His mother is from Cavan, and his father is a Cork man.

To get to the place of being Ireland’s first Luge Olympian, Elsa even had to self fund as Ireland did not have a Luge federation. She started one herself by forming a registered company and doing all the paperwork, and her dad Brendan took on the honorary role of President.

All this effort and work was undertaken by Elsa on top of her training schedule, while maintaining her busy career as an NHS doctor in general surgery at Southend hospital in Essex, where she is currently doing surgical rotations, and aims to work as an anesthesiologist in air rescue services.

“Ninety per cent of the work in setting up the federation was me - it was a lot of work, I had no idea what it was going to be like,” she said, “it was a steep learning curve.”

Elsa has never been shy of steep curves and her chosen sport reflects this willingness.

Luge is a term which was coined in 1905 in St Moritz, Switzerland. The term refers to a small coasting sled, but there is nothing small about the speeds that can be achieved in one.

Its roots go back to the 16th century, but it was not until three hundred years later that the first Luge tracks were built by Swiss hotel owners to cater for thrill-seeking tourists.

Dr Elsa regularly finds herself hurtling down through the twists and turns of the icy track at a whopping 140km an hour, with no brakes. She calls her sled ‘Hank the Tank’.

A ‘Luger’ steers by using their calf muscles to flex the sleds runners, or by exerting the opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. The Luger lies on their back, facing the sky, with their feet stretched out in front of them, it’s the equivalent of a very icy rollercoaster.

I wondered what goes through Elsa’s head as she follows the path of her dreams, hurtling at breathtaking speeds down the icy track on Hank the Tank, with only the sky above to see?

“I would say that I go over all my preparations in my mind beforehand, making sure that I have everything checked,” she reflected, “then, when I am actually out there on the sled, I just try and maintain complete focus and stay calm.

“Luge is very focused, it does not lend itself to external distractions. I used to do paragliding, and when you are doing that you are so aware of everything around you, but Luge is the opposite, it is very contained.”

Her ritual is to have one very teeny tiny tic- tac sweet before she sets off.

“We race in the evening so temperatures can sometimes really plummet - in Beijing the ice was sometimes really hard due to minus 15 degree temperatures. Temperatures like those makes it harder for the sled to get a grip, and you cannot make mistakes as easily when the ice is that hard.

“I normally wear one layer of thermals, and then I have lead weights to bring my weight up to 75 kilos, which is ideal for the sled,” she explained.

Elsa hopes that she can inspire young people and grow the sport in Ireland.

“The younger the better for starting Luge, she said, 12 to 18 is a very good age, and I would say that the cut off point is around 40. You have to have good flexibility, so staying active is really important.

“Swimming is great, lots of stretching, and any sport really is very helpful in building up good cardiovascular fitness.

“Gymnastics is also great, and the ability to think quickly is vital.”she said.

If any young people are really serious about pursuing Luge in Ireland, Elsa encourages them to contact The Irish Luge Federation, which is based in Oldcastle Co. Meath.

Elsa had been planning a trip to Cork along with her cousin when lockdown hit.

“ Myself and my cousin were just organising a trip to investigate our Cork family, and then our plans were scuppered by lockdown. 

"Sadly, I never knew my Cork grandfather, and I would love to find out more about that side of the family. Desmond is a good Irish name all the same!” she said proudly.

If there was ever a person more deserving of a break in Cork in order to experience all the wonderful food and hospitality on offer, it is Dr Elsa Desmond.

She was scheduled to resume her physician duties at the hospital just days after her stellar performance flying the green for Ireland on the Xiaohaituo Bobsleigh and Luge Track in Beijing.

None of it fazes this remarkable woman, who along with Cork-born freestyle skier Brendan ‘Bubba’ Newby, held the Irish flag aloft as Team Ireland marched into the Bird’s Nest Stadium in Beijing city for the opening ceremony.

Speaking the day after the event, Elsa said: “It was the proudest moment of my life. I really cannot put the emotions of last night into words, to carry the flag and lead out my team, I will cherish that memory to my last breath.

“Thank you again, Team Ireland, Winter Olympics, for giving me that honour.”

And for Dr Elsa Desmond it was only the start of her dreams coming true.

For more information on the Irish Luge Federation, see lugeireland@protonmail.com