Elsa Desmond, the 24-year-old Irish bobsleigher who competed in the Beijing Winter Olympics, was born at the age of 9. As a child, when she happened to watch the bobsleigh competition at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin on TV, she was infected by the speed, technology and confidence of the athletes in the bobsleigh movement, and aspired to become a bobsleigh player and step onto the Olympic stage.
Representing Ireland in the Bobsleigh Competition at the Winter Olympics was not an easy task, as there was no Bobsleigh Association in Ireland at the time, without which she would not have been eligible. After some thought, Desmond founded the Irish Bobsleigh Association in 2020, which is chaired by her father.
As a non-professional athlete, Desmond has just graduated from medical school and is an ordinary intern. However, becoming a doctor during the pandemic and juggling bobsleigh racing and training is a very difficult and brutal process. In preparation for the Beijing Winter Olympics, Desmond got up early and went to bed late, and used his rest days to train. "The world has given me countless excuses to give up my dreams, but I didn't choose to give up in the end, and I'm incredibly proud of it." Desmond said.
Elsa Desmond at the Women's Singles Bobsleigh at the Beijing Winter Olympics on February 7. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Sun Fei
Elsa Desmond after the women's singles bobsleigh race at the Beijing Winter Olympics (photo taken on February 8). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Yao Jianfeng
Elsa Desmond prepares to set off in the women's single bobsleigh race at the Beijing Winter Olympics on February 8. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jiang Wenyao
Elsa Desmond sets off in the women's singles bobsleigh race at the Beijing Winter Olympics on February 8. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jiang Wenyao
Elsa Desmond at the Women's Singles Bobsleigh at the Beijing Winter Olympics on February 8. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter He Changshan