Ashley Walden is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 luge

Luge

A Luge is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds supine and feet-first. Steering is done by flexing the sled's runners with the calf of each leg or exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. Racing sleds weigh 21-25 kilograms for singles and 25-30 kilograms for doubles. Luge...

r who has competed since 1998. She won two silver medals in the mixed team event at the FIL World Luge Championships (2004

FIL World Luge Championships 2004

The FIL World Luge Championships 2004 took place February 13-15, 2004 at the Spiral track in Nagano, Japan. This marked the first time the event took place in Asia.-Men's singles:-Women's singles:-Men's doubles:-Mixed team:-Medal table:...

, 2005

FIL World Luge Championships 2005

-Men's singles:-Women's singles:-Men's doubles:-Mixed team:-Medal table:-References:****...

).

Hayden also finished eighth in the women's singles event at the 2002 Winter Olympics

2002 Winter Olympics

The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...

 in Salt Lake City.

In 2006, she married luger Bengt Walden

Bengt Walden

Bengt Walden is a Swedish-born, American luger who has competed since 1985, internationally since 1988, when he joined the Swedish national team. He married American luger Ashley Hayden in 2006, and joined the United States national team in 2007...

, a naturalized American citizen originally from Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

. For NBC Sports

NBC Sports

NBC Sports is the sports division of the NBC television network. Formerly "a service of NBC News," it broadcasts a diverse array of programs, including the Olympic Games, the NFL, the NHL, MLS, Notre Dame football, the PGA Tour, the Triple Crown, and the French Open, among others...

 at the 2010 Winter Olympics

2010 Winter Olympics

The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...

 in Vancouver

Vancouver

Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

, she worked as a researcher for the luge

Luge at the 2010 Winter Olympics

The luge competition events of the 2010 Winter Olympics were held between 13 and 17 February 2010 at the Whistler Sliding Centre in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada.- Medal table :- Events :Three luge events were held at the games:...

events.