Emily Sweeney reacts after her women’s singles luge run 3 during the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 on Feb. 08, 2022 in Yanqing, China.
As for Chan, 19, and Weiler, 20, they recently celebrated five years sliding together as a doubles team. Last season, the duo won three bronze medals on the women’s world cup circuit. They also finished fourth at the 2020 Youth Olympic Games.
“Maya and Reannyn have been training together for years, and me and Chevonne have been doing doubles the last three years, so we’ve had a little head start compared to the countries that are just putting girls on ice [in doubles] now,” explained Kirkby.
The U.S. women hope to hold their advantage when women’s doubles luge makes its Olympic debut at the 2026 Winter Games. But they know competition will become tighter as those Games approach.
“It is definitely going to be a different world this year,” said Kirkby. “We have more people [sliding] now that we have that official Olympic title to this category. So it’s just going to be a different playing field with all the new competitors.”
Gender Equity in Luge
Women’s doubles luge will start from the men’s doubles start. It will be the first time that men and women start races — other than the team relay — from the same start. In singles, the women push out of a lower start ramp than the men. And until this year, women’s doubles started at the even lower junior start.
“We are very excited to be moving up starts because it’s the reason we do this sport,” said Forgan. “It’s for the adrenaline and for the excitement, and going from these starts, we will have more speed and more pressure.”
For Britcher, the world cup debut of women’s doubles and the new start location are a step forward for the sport of luge. She has long advocated for men and women to push from the same start in singles, so the change in the women’s doubles start is a move in the right direction.
“Seeing the push for gender equality from the IOC and the USOPC, and having women’s doubles included in the 2026 Olympics,” said Britcher, “it’s just something that I want to be a part of.”
Summer Britcher reacts after her women’s singles luge run 3 during the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 on Feb. 08, 2022 in Yanqing, China.
Men’s Doubles Gain Experience
Women’s doubles races will run with the men, so Britcher/Sweeney, Forgan/Kirkby, and Chan/Weiler will join USA Luge’s two men’s doubles teams in the start houses on race days.
Dana Kellogg and Duncan Segger, both in their early 20s, have been doubles teammates since 2016. Sean Hollander and Zack DiGregorio, also in their early 20s, have less doubles experience than Kellogg and Segger; they paired together in the fall of 2020. But they earned the right to compete at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 last season.
In Beijing, they finished 11th in doubles and helped the U.S. claim seventh in the team relay. The duo hopes to carry the momentum from those Games into the 2022-3023 season.
“Those were really high-pressure environments, and we learned a lot about ourselves and about our sliding,” said DiGregorio. “Now it’s just bringing confidence for the next four years going into 2026.”
“It’s not our first season anymore,” added Hollander. “We actually have some runs on all the tracks. So it’s going to be fun.”
Sled Standardization
The other big news in doubles is the standardization of the sleds. Until this year, luge sleds were crafted individually. Now every team will order sleds and parts from one manufacturer (that has no connection to any particular team), and the sliders will not be able to modify the sleds. The idea is to level the playing field.
The standardized sleds are lower to the ice and more stable and secure, explained Segger.
“It’s just a completely different game,” Segger added. “The sleds feel a lot different this year, so we’ll see what happens.”
“It was a little bit of a scramble,” added Kellogg, “but I think the sleds have shown speed so far. We’re just excited to get it going to see how we stack up against the rest of the field. It’s going to be very interesting.”
The FIL Luge World Cup starts on December 3 in Igls, Austria, then returns to North America for a stop in Whistler, Canada, on December 9-10, then to Park City, Utah, for a world cup on December 16-17.
After the New Year, the world cup moves to Europe for six more stops and for 2023 world championships, held in Oberhof, Germany, on January 28-29.
