The Doctor Is in the Olympics

The Doctor Is in the Olympics

Elsa Desmond knows she is not going to win a medal at the Beijing Winter Olympics. She is not even expecting to place in the top half of the competitors.

But Desmond is competing as the first women's luge Olympian from Ireland. And she feels like she has already won.

In the sport of luge, athletes race small sleds down an ice track at very high speeds. Luge athletes are called sliders.

Desmond will not be in China for long. She competed on Monday in the opening night in the women's luge event and she is expected to leave on Friday. She plans to return to work in Ireland on Saturday as a doctor. She has delayed parts of her job to compete in the Olympics.

"As the founder¹ of the modern Olympics said, ‘It's not about who wins, it's about the fight to get there,'" Desmond said.

Although she will not win in Beijing, she has already won some fights. She had been given many reasons why she could not compete: she is too short, she did not start sliding at a young age, and she could not balance a medical job with competing in a sport.

The biggest difficulty simply might have been that Ireland did not have a luge organization. So, she started one herself.

And now, officially, she is a luge Olympian.

She was the 26th sled to cross the line in the first run of the women's race on Monday night. At that point, she was in 26th place — faster than none of the other athletes. That did not matter to her. She celebrated² with a large smile on her face.

By the end of the night, she was the last in the competition in the 34th place.

"I have another job, I have to self-fund, I have all these really visible³ challenges," Desmond said. "But I think everyone's worked as hard as they can to be here."

Desmond is a doctor in general surgery⁴ at Ireland's Southend University Hospital. Her hospital gave her the time off. And her co-workers are becoming big luge fans.

The hospital's chief medical officer, David Walker, said her co-workers are "immensely proud of her."

Desmond has balanced two very demanding jobs. She has been sliding a few months out of the year. And she has been starting a life in medicine. There was a time last season when she had to take important examinations⁶ in hotels in Latvia and Germany where other sliders were staying.

"I had to stick signs on my door saying ‘Do not disturb, exam in progress' in about six different languages," Desmond said.

Some sliders have even asked Desmond medical questions.

"I try to say I'm not on duty," Desmond said.

Desmond got the honor⁷ of representing her country in Beijing. She also was given the honor of being one of two people holding Ireland's flag during the opening ceremony on Friday.

"I really was not expecting this, especially at my first Olympics," Desmond said. "I don't think I can put into words how excited I am to lead out the team. I really hope that I...make my country proud."

Words in This Story

sled –n. a small vehicle that has a flat bottom or long, narrow strips⁸ of metal or wood on the bottom and that is used for moving over snow or ice

immense⁵ — adj. very great in size or amount

disturb — v. to prevent someone from working or sleeping; to interrupt or bother

proud — adj. very happy or pleased with something you or someone else has done

1 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

2 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

3 visible   

adj.看得见的，明显的，显然的；n.可见物

参考例句：

• It is a visible star in the sky.这是一颗在天空中可见的星星。
• The warning lights were clearly visible.警示信号灯清晰可见。

4 surgery   

n.外科，外科手术；手术室

参考例句：

• What time does surgery finish?门诊什么时间结束？
• Your condition is serious and requires surgery.你的情况很严重，需要动外科手术。

5 immense   

adj.巨大的；极好的

参考例句：

• They made an immense improvement in English.在英语方面他们取得了巨大的进步。
• The expense of living is immense.生活费用很庞大。

6 examinations   

n.检查( examination的名词复数 )；考试；考查；试题

参考例句：

• He had been forced to incriminate himself in cross-examinations. 他在盘问中被迫受到牵连。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Examinations are hanging over her head—that's why she can't sleep at nights. 她大脑里想的都是考试，所以晚上无法入睡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 honor   

n.光荣；敬意；荣幸；vt.给…以荣誉；尊敬

参考例句：

• I take your visit as a great honor.您的来访是我莫大的光荣。
• It is a great honor to receive that prize.能拿到那个奖是无上的光荣。

8 strips   

n. 条，片 名词strip的复数形式

参考例句：

• Cut the vegetables into thin strips. 把菜切成细条。
• The baskets are woven from strips of willow. 这些篮子是用柳条编的。