Jayson Terdiman resigns to become coach at USA Luge

Lake Placid (USA Luge/FIL) Two-time Olympian Jayson Terdiman announced his retirement after 23 years as a luge athlete to become a junior coach with Team USA.

In a social media post, Terdiman looked back on his career in luge doubles. Terdiman represented the USA Olympic team at the 2014 Sochi Winter Games with Christian Niccum, the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games with Matt Mortensen and the 2020 World Championships with Chris Mazdzer, among others. In Sochi 2020, Terdiman won a World Championships bronze medal in the team relay.

"Ever since I was introduced to luge, it has been my passion," Terdiman said in his social media post. "To be fortunate enough to pursue this passion for the past 22-23 years has been incredible. There have been some ups and downs but I wouldn't want to miss a single second of this journey. The sport has made me the person I am today, and for that I am forever grateful."

The Berwick, Pa. native is the only U.S. athlete to win World Cup or World Championship medals with three different teammates. His many accomplishments include a third-place finish in the 2016/17 World Cup standings with Mortensen, a bronze medal at the 2007 World Junior Championships and a silver medal at the 2008 World Junior Championships.

Despite not qualifying for the 2022 Beijing Winter Games, he continued to push for U.S. lugers to make the podium. Since Terdiman's doubles sled was the best in the nation, he gave his sled to the young duo of Zack Digregorio and Sean Hollander for the 2022 Beijing Winter Games and spent two weeks in Utah helping Digregorio and Hollander fine-tune the sled in advance of Beijing 2022.

"Jayson started luge at USA Luge when he was ten years old and we have enjoyed watching him grow as an athlete over the years," said Jim Leahy, CEO of USA Luge. "We thank Jayson for his more than 20-year successful career with us and for his dedication to making sure his teammates were the best they could be. While we will miss Jayson as an athlete, we are grateful that he will remain with USA Luge to help our future Olympians reach the podium as coach of the Junior National Team."

Jayson Terdiman will remain with the sport of luge. As a member of the USA Luge Junior National Team coaching staff, he will continue to work with the team.