CALGARY — Luge Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) have unveiled a six-athlete roster for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, naming a young team anchored by Beijing 2022 veteran Trinity Ellis as Canada looks to build on recent international momentum and expand its presence in a sport where medals are won by fractions of a second.
The roster reflects Canada’s qualification outcomes across the Olympic Qualification window, with the country earning entries in women’s singles (two athletes), women’s doubles (one sled) and men’s doubles (one sled). The selected athletes are Trinity Ellis and Embyr-Lee Susko in women’s singles, Kailey Allan and Beattie Podulsky in women’s doubles, and Devin Wardrope and Cole Zajanski in men’s doubles.
Ellis, from Pemberton, B.C., is the lone returning Olympian on the team and will lead a group that includes five first-time Olympic team members. At Beijing 2022, she finished 14th in women’s singles and helped Canada place sixth in the mixed team relay. Now preparing for her second Games, Ellis said the opportunity remains as meaningful as ever.
“It’s incredibly special to be heading to my second Olympics, it still seems a bit surreal,” said Ellis. “It’s such an honour to represent Canada at the Games, and I’m really excited to share this experience with the team we have going. It takes a village, and I’m grateful for everyone who has helped me get there.”
The rest of the team brings a blend of emerging speed and recent results on home ice that have raised expectations heading into Italy. Whistler, B.C.’s Embyr-Lee Susko enters the Games as one of Canada’s fastest rising athletes in women’s singles. Still just 19, Susko has steadily closed the gap on the world’s top competitors, with her development highlighted in 2025 when she placed fourth at the FIL Luge World Championships at the Whistler Sliding Centre. One day later, she helped Canada earn bronze in the mixed relay at the same venue.
Canada’s women’s doubles entry will also carry significant attention, as the discipline is set to make its Olympic debut at Milano Cortina 2026. Calgarians Kailey Allan and Beattie Podulsky will represent Team Canada in the new event, bringing a partnership that has advanced quickly through the international ranks. Competing in their first major international race one year ago, Allan and Podulsky were part of Canada’s bronze-medal mixed relay team at the 2025 world championships in Whistler, an outcome described as an unexpected triumph for the host nation.
In men’s doubles, Wardrope and Zajanski will finally reach the Olympic stage after narrowly missing qualification for Beijing 2022. The Calgary-based duo has regularly pushed into top-15 finishes on the World Cup circuit and also contributed to Canada’s bronze-medal mixed relay result at the 2025 FIL Luge World Championships.
For Wardrope, the Olympic nomination also marks a personal comeback after a season disrupted by injury. He said repeated elbow dislocations had cast doubt on whether he would be able to meet the qualification standard in time.
“It is amazing to be named to Team Canada. This season has been filled with uncertainty, after dislocating my elbow twice I was all but sure that my Olympic dreams were over,” said Wardrope. “But the team gave me hope that there was still a way to come back from it. We put together a rehab plan that would get my shoulder stronger and were able to get back on the sled in early January and meet the qualifying criteria. I’m just super grateful for my coaches, family and friends for helping me get to this point. I’m just setting my eyes forward to put down the best performance I can get at the Games.”
Luge competition at the Milano Cortina Games is scheduled for Feb. 7 to 12 (Days 1 to 6) at the Cortina Sliding Centre, placing the sport early in the Olympic calendar and giving Canada an early opportunity to establish momentum.
Luge Canada high-performance director Sam Edney said the roster reflects the progress of the national program and the athletes’ ability to deliver internationally, despite the relative youth of the group.
“This team of Olympic luge athletes represents the strength and development of our program in Canada,” said Sam Edney, high-performance director, Luge Canada. “While they’re a young group, they’ve all proven themselves at every stage of their progression and shown they can compete and deliver results internationally. We’re extremely proud of the work they’ve put in and I look forward to seeing them perform on the ultimate stage at the Olympic Games.”
Canada has won two Olympic luge medals, both earned at PyeongChang 2018. Alex Gough captured bronze in women’s singles, while Gough, Edney, Tristan Walker and Justin Snith won silver in the relay.
COC Milano Cortina 2026 Chef de Mission Jennifer Heil said the team’s mix of experience and first-time Olympians positions the group as one Canadians can rally behind.
“I am thrilled to congratulate the luge athletes named to the Canadian Olympic Team today,” said Jennifer Heil, Team Canada’s Milano Cortina 2026 Chef de Mission. “This will be an incredibly special few weeks in Cortina for these athletes, who for all but one, will experience their first Olympic Winter Games. With young veteran Trinity leading this dynamic and ambitious luge team, Canadians from coast to coast to coast will be cheering you on as you fly down the track, making us all proud along the way. Congratulations and enjoy the moment.”
Team Canada’s luge athletes will be supported by a staff group that includes head coach Robert Fegg, coach Duncan Kenney, strength and conditioning coach Tim Neenan, and team leader Sam Edney.
As with all Olympic nominations, the selections remain subject to approval by the Canadian Olympic Committee’s Team Selection Committee following the receipt of nominations from national sport organizations.
