New York native Sophia Kirkby made history with her luge partner Chevonne Forgan, becoming part of the first team to complete a women’s doubles luge run at the Olympics.
Now that her race is over, Kirkby says a different kind of competition has taken center stage: romance.
While she was sliding down the track, potential suitors were sliding into her direct messages.
Kirkby has dubbed herself the athlete village’s “most eligible bachelorette,” sharing glimpses of her Olympic dating life with followers on Instagram.
What You Need To Know
Sophia Kirkby made history competing in women’s doubles luge at the 2026 Winter Olympics
She says she received about 2,000 new direct messages after going viral on Instagram
Athletes at the 2026 Games are housed in multiple villages across northern Italy based on their sport
Kirkby says dating at the Olympics has taught her to be open-minded and take risks
Instead of handing out roses like they do on The Bachelorette, she has been trading homemade Olympic pins for cappuccino dates.
She says she has received around 2,000 new messages since going viral.
“Where I’m from, it’s slim pickings in the dating world. So, I wanted to take this opportunity to meet people from all around that enjoy Olympic sports as much as I do,” she said. “I think it’s a great opportunity. A lot of people are here to enjoy watching and participating in sports. And overall, people are just in a great mood. So it’s an electric environment.”
Kirkby is competing at the 2026 Winter Olympics, where athletes are spread across multiple villages in northern Italy depending on their sport.
“I am in a small Olympic village consisting of luge, bobsled, skeleton and then men’s curling,” Kirkby said. “So I already know all the luge guys. If I wanted to date them, I wouldn’t have already. I’m not doing bobsled again. My ex was a bobsledder. And I don’t know, skeleton, I think everyone’s got a girlfriend or something. And curling, I think they got girlfriends too.”
The upstate New Yorker’s dating pool has expanded beyond the village.
She says her Valentine’s Day date flew in from the United Kingdom just to see her. The pair spent the day at a spa and had dinner at a Michelin-starred restaurant.
“He DMed me a few weeks ago. We had messages here and there. And then two weeks ago, he said, ‘hey, I just realized I have a couple days off. Would it be so weird if I came to visit you at the Olympics?’ And I told him, ‘no, no, come on,’” she said.
Kirkby says she has several more prospects lined up — and plenty of pins left to hand out.
“I just wanted to take this opportunity to just meet new people and have great experiences here in the Olympic village,” she said.
The experience, she added, has come with perspective.
“Even elite Olympic athletes — our dating lives are not perfect,” she said. “I’ve learned to be open-minded and just take risks.”