| Elsa Desmond | |
| Birth Date: | 6 August 1997 |
| Birth Place: | Buckingham, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom |
| Alma Mater: | King's College London |
| Occupation: | physician / olympics |
| Years Active: | 2018–present |
| Country: |  Ireland |
| Rank: | 27th World Cup Overall Women's Singles Overall 2023/2024[1] |
| Event: | Singles |
| Coach: | Adam Rosen[2] |
| Worlds: | 2019 FIL World Luge Championships, 2021 FIL World Luge Championships, 2023 FIL World Luge Championships, 2024 FIL World Luge Championships |
| Olympics: | 2022 |
| Highestranking: | 10th (2019 U23 World Championships) |
Elsa Desmond (born 6 August 1997), nicknamed the "Flying Doctor" [3] is an English-born luger who competes for Ireland.[4] [5] She was Irelands first Olympic luge athlete and the Irish flag bearer in the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics.[6]
Desmond was born in Buckingham in 1997.[7] Her paternal grandparents were from County Cavan and County Cork, Ireland.[8] She grew up in England, India and Turkey, and was part of the University of London Air Squadron.[4]
Desmond began to compete internationally in luge in 2018. Elsa founded the Irish Luge Federation with support from her family to allow her to compete internationally, and continues to be a fully self funded athlete.[9] She competed for Ireland at the 2022 Winter Olympics in the women's singles event becoming Irelands first luge athlete to compete at the Olympics.[10] [11] She continues to run the Irish Luge Federation alongside coaching the growing junior team with the aim of ensuring the longevity of the sport within Ireland, while aiming to again make history at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina.[12]
At the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics in Gangwon, South Korea Desmond was the team leader for the Irish luge team, coaching youth athlete Lily Cooke.[13]
| Season | Ranking | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018/19 | 43 | 28 | |
| 2019/20 | 61 | - | |
| 2020/21 | 50 | 8 | |
| 2021/22 | 54 | 13 | |
| 2022/23 | 31 | 71 | |
| 2023/24 | 26 | 102 |
| Year | Event | Ranking | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | U23 World Championship Winterberg. | 10 | |
| 2019 | World Championship Winterberg. | 30 | |
| 2019 | European Championships Oberhof | 24 | |
| 2021 | World Championship Konigssee. | 40 | |
| 2023 | World Championship Oberhof. | 35 | |
| 2023 | European Championships Sigulda. | 20 | |
| 2024 | World Championship Oberhof. | 34 | |
| 2024 | European Championships Innsbruck. | 27 |
FIL Official Results [14]
Desmond studied medicine at King's College London, and began to work at Southend University Hospital in July 2021.[15] She aims to pursue a career in emergency medicine or anaesthetics with the aim of eventually working in the Air medical services.[12]