Before arriving in Cortina d'Ampezzo, the luge star posted a video on Instagram with the message: "the most eligible single in the athletes' village arrives tomorrow," sharing it with over 23,000 followers.
Kirkby has won one world silver medal and one world bronze medal. Beyond her professional goals, she humorously expressed a desire to "seek a gold medal" in her love life.
"I'll be sharing what dating is like among athletes, with busy schedules, early bedtimes, constant travel... but still trying to be romantic," the 24-year-old athlete said about her plans to document her olympic journey.
Upon arriving at the athletes' village, Kirkby revealed she received around 600 date invitations via messages and had "finalized" two meetings for Valentine's Day, 14/2. "There are many candidates, and I'm ready to reply to messages to see how I can arrange my schedule," she shared with her followers.
Most of the messages she received were from fans, but the athlete did not rule out dating fellow competitors in the sports community.
"I think it's simply about being bold and trying, meeting people, and seeing what lies ahead," she said. "Everyone's competition schedule is intense, and everyone is focused on their event. But the atmosphere is also very open, friendly, and everyone is excited to get to know each other."
According to Kirkby, many athletes are open to socializing and having fun after completing their events, though this depends on each person's specific schedule.
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Sophia Kirkby photographed at the 2026 winter olympics. Photo: Imago |
Earlier, Kirkby shared her desire to celebrate Valentine's Day right in the athletes' village and joked that she might be looking for a cappuccino date. After the opening ceremony, Kirkby posted a picture pointing towards the US team's gathering area in Cortina with the caption: "my valentine might be standing somewhere in this line."
In another video, a volunteer even offered to set her up on the opening night. Nevertheless, Kirkby affirmed she is ready to meet anyone, provided they are tall and "strong enough to pick me up."
Joining the US team at 16, Kirkby began in singles events for the national youth team before transitioning to doubles in 2020. She partners with Chevonne Forgan, with Forgan positioned above to steer and Kirkby below to navigate the sled.
In the 2022–2023 world cup season, the duo finished 5th overall in the women's doubles event. Kirkby won a bronze medal at the 2022 world championships – the first time the women's doubles event was held – then placed 6th in both the doubles and sprint doubles at the 2023 championships.
At the 2024 world championships, she earned a team relay silver medal and a women's doubles bronze medal. In this event, the two athletes also matched the start record (5,925 seconds) and the track record (42,334 seconds).
Hong Duy (according to Daily Mail)
