A Colorado Springs and Fort Carson local has punched her ticket to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing this February. Sgt. Emily Sweeney, a military police officer, was chosen for the 2022 U.S. Olympic Luge Team on Jan. 10. The U.S. Army Soldier is assigned to Fort Carson’s World Class Athlete Program and has been racing in Luge for more than a decade. This will be her second winter Olympics.
“I’m honestly just really proud,” Sweeney said in a Fort Carson press release. “No one has an easy road to get here, and I am proud of myself that I was able to push through a lot and I’m grateful for the opportunity to represent the United States in Beijing.”
Sweeney will join teammates Summer Britcher and Ashley Farquharson in women’s singles.
The Suffield, Connecticut, native, was introduced to sliding by her older sister and winter Olympian, Megan Sweeney, and has since competed on five World Cup teams, four World Championship teams and was named Junior World Champion in 2013.
In the sport of Luge, athletes lie on their back and control a sled with their feet. They regularly reach speeds approaching 90 mph. Margins for winning are usually minimal, measured in hundredths to thousandths of a second.
Sweeney said she’s excited for the upcoming Olympics, especially given the trials of the last year.
“The challenges have come from every angle, really,” Sweeney said. “It’s been unbelievable how many different challenges we, as a team, have had to face this year. I’m looking forward to that moment where I can just let it go and be in the moment, but that’s not going to happen until I’m in China.”
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