Elsa’s moulding the next generation
Luge: Winter Olympian takes on new mentoring role for Team Ireland
Cookham’s Elsa Desmond is hoping to qualify in the Luge for her second Olympics in Milan Cortina in 2026, however, the busy A&E doctor has taken on a supplementary role for Team Ireland ahead of the run up to the Winter Games.
Elsa, 26, was raised in Cookham, attending Highfield School in Maidenhead, and recently made her mark on the sport of Luge, nailing three clean runs to finish in 33rd place at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
Since then, she improved on her position, finishing 30th for Ireland at the women’s Luge at the World Cup in Innsbruck, Austria, last year.
However, not content with being an A&E doctor and competing at the highest level of her sport, the Cookham athlete is now training and mentoring junior athletes who she hopes to mould into future Olympic stars and potential champions.
Currently in Asia for the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon, Korea, she’s the team leader for the Irish Luge Team where she is coaching junior athlete Lily Cooke. Lily has been producing some impressive runs at the Alpensia Sliding Centre in Korea.
Reflecting on her diversifying aims and ambitions, she said: “I am still an active athlete in Luge.
“At the time of writing this my World Cup season ranking is 35th and I will be flying straight back from Korea to compete in the World Championships in Altenberg, Germany, next week.
“I am also hoping to qualify for my second Olympics in Milan Cortina in 2026.”
She added: “Alongside this I took on the role of Junior and Development Program Director for the Irish Luge Federation in 2021 to recruit new athletes into the sport.
“I have been coaching these athletes since 2022 and it has been a new challenge for me, but also something I have found very rewarding. I hope to be able to continue to grow the Irish Luge team and to be able to support Lily (Cooke) to someday compete in the Olympics herself.
“I am so proud of how hard she has worked to qualify for these youth Olympics. Myself, and all Irish Luge athletes are selffunded, and we are always looking for sponsors.”
If you’re able to support Elsa in her goal of bringing through the next generation of Luge athletes and representing her country at the Winter Games in Milan Cortina, email lugeireland@protonmail.com or elsadesmond@hotmail.co.uk