Elana Meyers Taylor finally has her elusive Olympic gold medal.
Meyers Taylor, the most decorated woman bobsledder of all time and the most decorated Black athlete in Winter Olympics history, won individual gold in the women’s monobob competition on Monday (Feb. 16).
In her feat, she also became the oldest gold medalist in Winter Olympic history at age 41. She first began her Olympic career at the 2010 Games in Vancouver, winning bronze in the two-woman bobsled event. She would earn silver at the 2014 and 2018 Games in the two-woman bobsled event and won silver in the women’s monobob in 2022.
To go along with her bronze medal in the two-woman bobsled in 2022 and her gold on Monday, Meyers Taylor has six medals to her name, not counting the numerous World championships she’s won over the course of her career.
“This is definitely the top, not only the Olympic champion, but to be able to do this with my kids, both my kids like it’s just incredible,” Meyers Taylor told reporters following the medal ceremony, where the Star-Spangled Banner played in her honor.
“It means everything and it means nothing at all at the same time, because in six days, I’ll be at school drop-offs at the end of the day, and I’ll be in the drop-off line, and I don’t even know that anybody will know what happened here today,” Meyers Taylor said.
What makes the moment extra special for Meyers Taylor is that both of her sons, five-year-old Nico and three-year-old Noah, are deaf. The oldest son, Nico, was diagnosed with Down syndrome.
“Nobody in their right mind would say, ‘Hey, a 41-year-old woman is going to have a shot at another Olympic medal in a speed and power sport,’” said Meyers Taylor. “I want my children to know that people told their mom that it can’t happen and then she went for it anyways.”
Meyers Taylor is now the second Black woman to take home individual gold in Winter Olympic history. Speedskater Erin Jackson was the first, taking home gold in the 500m speed skating event in Beijing.
