Elsa Desmond, an Irish doctor descending at 145 km/h on her sled

Elsa Desmond is 24 years old and really a part of the history of her native Ireland. She is not only one of the doctors who fought to keep the Covid-19 epidemic at bay during the worst periods of confinement, but she is also the first athlete from her country to compete in bobsledding or bobsledding during the Games. Winter Olympics, Beijing 2022. In Ireland there was no federation for this sport, but the young woman did not care and decided to establish it herself.

This sled descent method is known to be one of the most dangerous, as athletes can reach speeds between 120 and 145 km/h while trying to take advantage of their inertia to overcome curves. On his Olympic debut, he managed to finish in 33rd place and confirmed that “I couldn’t be happier”.

Desmond finished his medical studies while participating in the ski championships in Latvia and Germany. It’s a major achievement considering that, in addition, the young woman was planning to take a break from medicine to focus on preparing for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. However, with the arrival of the pandemic, Desmond stopped the sled and helped with labor assistance at the hospital.

This hero works at Southend University Hospital in Essex County. She grew up in London, and says she chose to play skis because there was no role model in the UK or Ireland. Thus, he came to take money out of his pocket to found the Luge Union, although he later put his father to be able to compete without violating the regulations.