25
Chelmsford, MA
Chevonne Forgan's journey from Adelaide beach to Olympic ice began when her family relocated to Chelmsford, Massachusetts, when she was 11 years old. Having never seen snow before arriving in the United States, Forgan discovered luge through a USA Luge Slider Search event her mother found near their new hometown. What she thought was recreational fun turned out to be a tryout, and months later she received an invitation to train on ice in Lake Placid. After graduating from Chelmsford High School in 2018, she moved to Lake Placid to train full-time, initially competing in singles luge and earning a silver medal at the 2019 USA Luge Junior National Championships.
In 2020, when Forgan and fellow singles competitor Sophia Kirkby finished one-two at the U.S. Junior Championships, former USA Luge coach Robert Fegg suggested they pair up for doubles. Their height difference—Forgan at 5-foot-10 and Kirkby at 5-foot-3—made them an ideal aerodynamic match, with Forgan steering from the top position. The partnership proved remarkably successful: in their first world cup season, they earned two podiums and captured bronze at the inaugural Women's Doubles World Championships in Winterberg, Germany in January 2022, having slid together for less than two years.
The duo's success has continued to grow. They earned bronze at the 2024 FIL World Championships in Altenberg, Germany, and silver in the team relay event. The 2024-25 season marked a breakthrough when they became the first U.S. women's doubles luge team to win a world cup race, taking the season opener in Lillehammer, Norway in November 2024. They ended the season ranked third overall with seven FIL World Cup medals, including their first gold. On June 14, 2022—Kirkby's 21st birthday—the International Olympic Committee announced that women's doubles luge would debut at Milano Cortina 2026, giving their discipline its first opportunity on the Olympic stage.
Beyond training, Forgan has embraced life in the Adirondacks, spending summers hiking, swimming, and bird watching. She takes particular joy in identifying birds by sight and sound, finding that maintaining interests outside of luge helps her bring renewed focus to the sport. From a girl who had never seen snow to an Olympic hopeful steering one of the world's top luge sleds, Forgan's journey demonstrates the power of trying something new and embracing unexpected opportunities.
In 2022, at the first world championship for women’s doubles luge, Team USA’s Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby won a bronze medal. They had been sliding together for less than two years.They won another bronze medal at the 2024 FIL World Championships...
...
At the Olympic Winter Games Milan Cortina 2026, the sliding sports — bobsled, skeleton, and luge — will be held at the new Cortina Sliding Centre in Cortina d’Ampezzo. The facility opened to sliding this fall. It’s located in Cortina d’Ampezzo, 257 mil...
When Emily Fischnaller (née Sweeney) first tried luge, some of her young teammates were not even born yet. But the 32-year-old is not ready to retire. Far from it. After winning USA Luge’s start championships in September, she is on her way to qualifyi...
In 2022, at the first world championship for women’s doubles luge, Team USA’s Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby won a bronze medal. They had been sliding together for less than two years.They won another bronze medal at the 2024 FIL World Championships...
USA Luge's Emily Sweeney could call multiple states in the Northeast her home. While she spent significant time in Maine and Connecticut, she often attributes her hometown to Lake Placid, New York. It is a small mountain town known primarily for two th...
The four-time Olympian announced his retirement ahead of this weekend’s world cup in Lake Placid, New York.
