Considering Adelaide is bone dry in the height of summer, the idea one of its children could be competing in luge at the Winter Olympics 2026 is a little unexpected.
The fact she is doing it for Team United States is even more bizarre, but in the next 24 hours Chevonne Forgan, who grew up in Coromandel Valley and went to Belair Primary School, is in contention for an Olympic medal.
The 25-year-old’s father, Jamie Forgan, told ABC Radio Adelaide’s Breakfast program her journey began when he accepted a job opportunity to move to the United States with the family in 2011.
Chevonne was 11 at the time and had never seen snow, which only rarely falls in the Adelaide Hills and typically melts the moment it hits the ground.
“When we landed in Boston, the kids were very excited looking out the window of the plane, as it was dumping down quite a lot of snow,” Mr Forgan said.
“When we got to our rental, the kids went through the front door and straight out the back to play in the snow and that was their first introduction to it. They loved it.”
Chevonne and Jamie Forgan in Italy, where she will compete for Team USA. (Supplied: Jamie Forgan)
The family eventually settled in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, where they became friends with a family that had connections to USA Luge.
Chevonne went along to a tryout, “which at the time we didn’t realise was a tryout; she thought it was just for some fun”.
“And a couple of months after, she got a call from the US Luge Association saying, ‘Hey, come to Lake Placid in upstate New York and try out’, and there we are, she ended up on the US luge team,” Mr Forgan said.
The trial included steering a sled on wheels “because they do it in summer”.
“Chevonne demonstrated, I think, a bunch of potential,” Mr Forgan said.
“And I think it’s a little bit of craziness because Chevonne apparently loves a lot of speed and danger, and she just never looked back.”
Chevonne is competing in the women’s double luge, which has been added to the Olympic program for the first time this year.
The Olympics does not include a female luge entry from Australia but it does include Queensland’s Alex Ferlazzo, who competed in the men’s luge and is now a four-time Olympian.
Speeds of up to 150km/h
The double sled weighs up to 20 kilograms, six more than the singles sleds.
Chevonne will share the sled with Sophia Kirkby, who will lie on the bottom while she is on top.
Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby during World Cup racing in Winterberg, Germany, in January. (Website: usaluge.org)
The pair are considered contenders for an Olympic medal, after making third place in the overall World Cup standings at the end of 2025 with 601 points.
Chevonne will steer the sled’s rails with her feet while Sophie controls it with her shoulders as they travel at speeds of up to 150 kilometres per hour.
The most critical element is entering and exiting the track’s icy corners with precision, as a bad line will cost them valuable seconds.
Mr Forgan said the luge was the only Winter Olympics sport measured in the thousandths of a second due to “the pretty incredible speeds”.
“It’s all about perfection; it’s a really challenging sport,” he said.
He said it could also be “nerve-wracking” to watch.
“Chevonne’s only had one bad accident in 2017 but since then she’s done a great job,” he said.
“I think the worse thing, though, is worrying if Chevonne’s going to do as well as she wants to.”
Some to wear green and gold
Mr Forgan, who was speaking from Italy, said there was a contingent of about 20 people who had come from Australia, the United States and Scotland to support Chevonne.
Asked if any of them would be wearing green and gold in support of an Adelaide-born athlete competing for the US, he said some of them would be.
“But we’re all supporting Chevonne and, actually, country doesn’t matter because we just care about Chevonne’s result,” he said.
The women’s double luge will be contested this evening from 8:30pm ACDT at the Cortina Sliding Centre in Milano, Italy.
Give me moreThe full Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games schedule is available on the official site.Read more about the Winter Olympics: