WEX Former Olympian Heads to Winter Olympics

The next best thing to competing in the Olympics is having the opportunity to provide insight and commentary on the sport you love, says former Olympic luger and WEX Recruiter Julia Clukey. In December, NBC reached out to Clukey  and asked her to come to Pyeongchang, South Korea, as part of its team covering the XXIII Olympic Winter Games in February. Her 19-year career as a world-class luger gives her an insider’s perspective on the athletes competing, as well as the nuances of the sport that can make or break the chance to medal.

Clukey and ESPN sports reporter and host, Michelle Beadle.

“I know all of the athletes who will be competing because I was competing with them just two years ago,” says Clukey. “Their history with the Olympics and the sport of luge are very familiar to me, as is each country’s history in the sport. It’s going to be different and fun working on this side of the Olympic experience, and I’m excited to stay connected with my sport in this new capacity.”

Clukey will have two major roles at the Winter Olympics for NBC. She’ll work as a statistician providing research and technical analysis for the luge, bobsled and skeleton competitions. For luge coverage, her expertise will be tapped to also provide on-air commentary during the five days of competition. As a seasoned, world-class luger, Clukey has a deep understanding of the technical aspects of the sport and how they can impact time and performance. She will share those observations and analysis with viewers on a sport that has participants reaching speeds in excess of 90 mph.

Going into the games, Clukey notes that Germany has a longstanding history as best in luge, with the U.S., Canada and Austria all bringing strong teams to this year’s races. For the first time, everyone on the U.S. luge team has won a World Cup medal within the past two years, so Clukey feels they have a good chance of being in the Olympic medal mix. Olympic luge competition will include men’s singles, women’s singles, an all-male doubles competition and a team relay event that she says is especially fun to watch as it’s equivalent to a track relay, except done on high-speed sleds.

Living the Olympic Dream

Clukey was introduced to the sport of luge in 1997 at the age of 11 during a recruitment event held by U.S.A. Luge. She jokes that she and a friend initially went to the event for the free t-shirts, but she was quickly captivated by the speed, adrenaline and challenges of the sport. A year later, she was competing at the junior level in international competitions and by age 17, she had captured many individual Junior World Cup medals.

In 2010, Clukey reached one of her goals by qualifying for the U.S. Olympic team. For the first time in her career she competed in front of a national television audience at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. Her “I made it” moment was standing inside the tunnel with teammates at the stadium entrance during opening ceremonies with the American flag being raised prior to Team U.S.A.’s introduction. “I remember waiting to come out of that tunnel, being amongst all the elite athletes, together at the same time. It was pretty moving,” recalls Clukey.

Being involved in a sport like luge and the Olympic movement never leaves you, observes Clukey. Since retiring from the sport two years ago, she continues to sit on the board of directors for U.S.A. Luge, working on strategy, financing, budgeting and building the pipeline of athletes. In her home state of Maine, Clukey has established a summer camp for girls, now entering its seventh season, to promote self-confidence and a healthy lifestyle.

Watch for Clukey as she provides commentary on NBC during its coverage of the luge competition. You can also go to her website for more information on her athletic career, as well as her extensive and impressive community involvement.