Sliding Solo: Caitlin Nash’s Fearless Push Toward Olympic Glory

Whistler (FIL/July 20, 2025) By all accounts, Caitlin Nash could have played it safe. She could have kept riding the wave of a historic double’s partnership, aiming for a World Cup medal and Olympic glory in the women's doubles, and building on the headlines she and Natalie Corless had already made as teenagers.

In 2019, at just 16 years old, Nash made history in her hometown of Whistler as part of the first women's doubles team ever to compete at the senior level in the World Cup. That day changed everything—not just for her career, but for women's luge as a whole. Then Nash/Corless competed for Canada at the 2020 Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne, Switzerland's prestigious winter sports resort of St. Moritz, and won a silver medal for Canada. And yet, despite the momentum, the medals and the attention, Nash turned her back on doubles. Because she wasn't chasing history. She's chasing something much more personal. “I wanted to know if I could do it on my own and make it to the Olympics,” says Nash, now 22. “I didn't want to be there just because we were the only women's doubles team in Canada.”

The Courage to Pivot

The choice to switch fully to singles was bold. After all, her doubles results were promising. But in her heart, she knew that if she wanted to stand on an Olympic start ramp one day, she had to feel like she earned it herself — not because there was a vacancy to fill, but because she was among the best.

That meant starting over. No longer one half of a duo, Nash became a solo competitor in one of the fastest, most mentally demanding sports on the planet.

And it’s working. She’s now Canada’s top-ranked female luger after a 2024/25 season that saw her finish 23rd overall in the EBERSPAECHER World Cup standings — a personal best and well within reach of Olympic qualification. With only 25 women’s singles spots up for grabs at Milano-Cortina 2026, Nash has put herself firmly in the mix.

Still, she isn’t satisfied. “The second half of the season was a disappointment,” she admits, citing her 16th-place finish at the World Championships in Whistler and 21st in Oberhof. “I needed to execute better, plain and simple.”

A Whistler Original

Speed has always been part of Nash’s DNA. Growing up in Whistler, she skied, biked, and thrived in adrenaline-heavy sports. But while many of her peers chased airtime on skis, she was drawn to the gravity-fed precision of luge. “I don’t love being in the air,” she laughs. “But I love going fast. That’s why luge just made sense.”

Her rise wasn’t meteoric — it was earned. From provincial-level training to Canada’s Next Gen team, she climbed step by step. Every missed podium, every crash, every hour in the gym layered onto the foundation she’s still building today.

“Until I made the Next Gen team, I had never raced outside North America,” Nash recalls. “The transition to international racing was a huge step. I realized quickly that race-day performance was where I needed the most work. But that’s what the junior circuit is for — to learn, to fail, to get better.”

Eyes on Italy

Now, with the Olympic season on the horizon, Nash is all in. Her summer training is relentless: five days a week in the gym, start track sessions, physical and mental performance prep, and even fine-tuning her body weight to maximize her competitive edge on the sled.

She’s also embracing the pressure differently than before. Experience has become her ally. And while others are already counting down the days to Milano-Cortina, Nash is keeping her head down.

“Everyone’s saying ‘200 days to go…’ and I’m just like, ‘We’ve still got time.’ I’m excited, but I’m trying to treat it like any other season. That’s how I perform best.”

Betting on Herself

If Nash qualifies for Milano-Cortina 2026, it will mark the beginning of a new era for Canadian luge — not just because she’s the country’s top singles hope, but because her story represents something greater: the power of self-belief.

She turned away from what was “working” because she believed there was more waiting. She risked comfort for authenticity. And she’s proving, with every clean run down the track, that the greatest results come not just from talent, but from conviction. “Looking back, it was the right call. It was hard, but I’m proud I made it.”

In the high-speed world of luge, every decision counts — every line, every millisecond. Caitlin Nash is choosing her own path, and it’s only getting faster from here.