Prior to arriving in Cortina d’Ampezzo, the luge star teased her arrival in an Instagram video. “Athlete Village’s Most Eligible Bachelorette Arrives Tomorrow,” she announced to her 38,000 followers.
While Kirkby boasts silver and bronze medals from the World Championships, she humorously shared her desire to “find a gold medal” in love alongside her professional athletic goals.
“I’ll be sharing what it’s like navigating the dating world of competing athletes – wild schedules, early bedtimes, constant travel… and somehow still trying to be romantic,” the 24-year-old said about her plans to document her Olympic journey.
American luge athlete Sophia Kirkby. Photo by Instagram/@sophia.kirkby |
Upon settling into the Athletes’ Village, Kirkby revealed she had been inundated with roughly 600 dating requests via direct messages, ultimately scheduling two meet-ups for Valentine’s Day.
“I have so many contenders for a date and I’m ready to start messaging you guys back and seeing what I can schedule,” she said, as quoted by Daily Mail.
While most messages poured in from fans, the athlete is also open to dating fellow Olympians.
“My mindset is just to take chances, meet people, and see what’s out there,” she told Women’s Health. “Everyone’s schedule is intense, and people are really locked in on their events. But it’s also super social – there’s a lot of friendly energy, and people are excited to meet each other.
“I think athletes are down to have fun, especially once they’re done competing, but it really depends on where they are in their competition schedule.”
Earlier in the Games, she expressed a desire to celebrate Valentine’s Day in the village, joking about finding a simple cappuccino date. Following the opening ceremony, she posted a photo pointing toward the U.S. team’s assembly area with the caption: “My Valentine might be in this line somewhere.”
In a separate video, a volunteer even offered to play matchmaker on opening night. Kirkby affirmed she was willing to meet anyone, provided they were tall and “strong enough to sweep up off my feet.”
Joining the U.S. national luge team at age 16, Kirkby initially competed in singles before transitioning to doubles in 2020. She partners with Chevonne Forgan, who positions herself on top to control direction, while Kirkby steers from the bottom.
The pair finished fifth overall in the women’s doubles event at the 2022-2023 World Cup season. Kirkby won bronze at the 2022 World Championships, the inaugural year for the women’s doubles event, before finishing sixth in both the doubles and sprint events in 2023.
At the 2024 World Championships, she captured a silver medal in the team relay and another bronze in women’s doubles. During that event, the duo also tied the start record at 5.925 seconds and the track record at 42.334 seconds.
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