“Lost my biggest supporter.” That’s what 24-year-old American luger Sophia Kirkby said last year after her father passed away from prostate cancer. The man who first put a sled in her hands when she was just eight may be gone, but he’s very much alive in her memories. Now, those messages and memories he left behind are her driving force into the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina, and she has just recently opened up about it.

Prior to his death, her father James, a former U.S. Air Force bobsledder, sent Sophia voice recordings and wrote her encouraging notes. Olympics recently posted a video on X that shows how those messages have turned into sources of motivation.

On some of her gloves, she carries his words: “I’d be overjoyed if you made the Olympic team,” “Everything’s going really, really good,” and “I’m very proud of you.”

Sophia writes these messages on her equipment as a source of inspiration. “I carry his words with me,” she says. “Racing with his words on my hands and his memory in my heart.”

Even though he didn’t have coaching experience in her sport, her father was there for every little thing she needed, driving her to practices, staying up until 3 a.m. to watch her competitions, and always cheering her on. “I know he is still sliding with me,” Sophia said, smiling.

James first introduced Sophia to sliding at Lake Placid, near their home. At first, she didn’t fall in love with the sport. “My very first run, I was terrified,” she recalls. “I did not like it.”

But her dad asked her how it went and if she was ready to try again. “I low key lied to him and said it was great,” she laughs. From that day, sliding became their weekend ritual and a shared joy.

As soon as she entered her first competitions, Sophia quickly stood out, beating older kids who had more experience. Her father even sourced a sled from Latvia because she was too small for the ones available locally. And now, hearing his recordings and carrying his words on her equipment makes Sophia feel like he is still with her on the track.

“I’d like you to think that I’m there pulling and pushing with you,” he once told her. Today, those words push her forward as she chases her Winter Olympic dream. But can she make the Olympic team?

Sophia Kirkby’s historic Winter Olympics chances

Sophia Kirkby has a very real chance to compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina, though her spot is not yet officially secured. She and her partner, Chevonne Forgan, are among Team USA’s top women’s doubles luge teams and are actively working toward qualification.

Forgan and Kirkby have already made their mark on the international stage by winning medals at World Championships, including two bronze medals in women’s doubles luge, and finishing near the top on the World Cup circuit. Last season, they finished third overall in the World Cup standings. Their event, women’s doubles luge, will make its Olympic debut in Milano-Cortina, giving them a historic opportunity to compete at the Games.

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The qualification criteria in the luge Olympic sport are five FIL events, including the Cortina test event and four pre-Olympic World Cup events. Athletes get points based on their finishes, and these points are added by national teams to nominate athletes.

Forgan and Kirkby already have at least one B-tier outcome, a finish in the top half of a qualifying race, to their credit, which will add to their nomination to Team USA.

However, the official U.S. Olympic luge roster will be announced around January 12, 2026, after the first half of the World Cup season, when athletes’ points and results from Cortina and other venues, including Park City and Lake Placid, are finalized.

With her late father’s inspiration, Sophia Kirkby is on her way to potentially making history in the debut of women’s doubles luge at the Winter Olympics.