Alex Gough and Kim McRea re-elected to top positions
Calgary (FIL/Luge Canada) Experienced Olympians Alex Gough and Kim McRea have been re-elected to their top positions on the Board of Directors of the Canadian federation "Luge Canada".
Two-time Olympic medallist Alex Gough was re-elected by Luge Canada members for another two-year term as president. Kim McRae, who finished fifth in each of her two Olympic appearances, was appointed vice-president of sport for a one-year term at the organisation's recent annual general meeting. McRae will continue her duties as athlete representative next year.
With these important positions, two of Canada's most successful female luge athletes will continue to help shape a new era in Canadian luge.
"It's a great honour to have the opportunity to lead the sport in Canada that has given me so much on and off the track," said Gough, who won a silver and a bronze medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics before studying engineering at the University of Calgary. "We have an amazing group of people on our board who all bring a variety of valuable skills that we need to achieve the goals of our organisation." The queen of Canadian luge stepped down in 2018 after four Olympic appearances. A trailblazer for her sport in Canada, Gough's remarkable journey to the international podium began in 2010 when she won a bronze medal at a World Cup race in Winterberg, Germany. In 2011, she became the first Canadian to win a World Cup race in Paramonovo, Russia. Her victory ended the Germans' 105-race winning streak in the World Cup. Gough added two more golden chapters to her story - becoming the first Canadian to win a luge race on home ice - in Calgary in 2012 and Whistler in 2016. She is also the first Canadian to win two World Championship bronze medals in the sport. (2011 Cesana, Italy; and 2013 Whistler, B.C.).
Her impressive resume includes 27 individual and 16 relay World Cup medals, two individual and four relay World Championship medals, and her two Olympic medals. The story of her Olympic success was even greater after two heartbreaking fourth-place finishes at the 2014 Sochi Games.
Kim McRae will move from the role of Athlete Representative to Vice President of Sport on the Luge Canada Board of Directors, "I am incredibly grateful to serve on the Luge Canada Board of Directors. Having spent 16 years in the Canadian luge community and knowing all it has given me, it's important to me to give back and support this new generation of athletes as best I can," said McRae, who officially retired three years ago to complete her nursing degree.
McRae, who finished fifth at both the 2014 and 2018 Olympics, returned to the podium at the 2017 World Championships after her first run from 10th place to win the bronze medal. One of the most respected athletes in the Canadian programme and in international luge, McRae won three individual World Cup medals in her career and claimed a victory in the team relay.
Max Dawson of Toronto, Peter Major of Calgary and Brian Onushko of Nanoose Bay, B.C., were all re-elected to two-year terms. Dawson brings a strong corporate network to the board, while Major is a Calgary-based lawyer and Onushko is a former Canadian luge athlete and business leader. Shannon Susko (Whistler, B.C.) will replace Zan Aycock as secretary. Aycock leaves the board after serving in various positions over the past eight years. Kevin Lundy (Ottawa) was elected to a one-year term. Ron Stitt (Calgary) remains treasurer, while another 1988 Games Olympian, Chris Wightman (Ottawa), returns for the final year of his two-year term on the board.
