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Meyers Taylor becomes oldest Winter Olympics individual champion
American bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor secured her first Olympic gold in the women's monobob at the Milan-Cortina Games on Monday, becoming the oldest individual Winter Games champion at 41.
A lifelong pursuit of gold
Meyers Taylor's victory in Italy completes a career-spanning quest. After five Winter Olympics and six total medals-three silver and two bronze-she finally stood atop the podium in the monobob event. Her combined time of 3:57.93 across four runs edged Germany's Laura Nolte by 0.04 seconds and fellow American Kaillie Armbruster Humphries by 0.12 seconds.
"Finally the gold! It took long enough, right?" Meyers Taylor told BBC Sport. "It just goes to show you... just to keep persevering, my team and everybody behind me, it means so much to come away as Olympic champion."
Breaking barriers on and off the track
The win cements Meyers Taylor's legacy as the most decorated female bobsled pilot in history and the first mother to win Olympic gold in the sport. She is also the most decorated Black athlete in Winter Olympics history, tying speed skater Bonnie Blair's U.S. record for most medals by a woman (six).
Her triumph resonated beyond sport. As a disability advocate, Meyers Taylor has inspired families with children facing similar challenges to her own-her sons Nico and Noah are deaf, and Nico has Down syndrome. "This medal is also for all those moms who weren't necessarily able to live their dreams, but their kids are now their dreams," she said.
A family's sacrifice and support
Meyers Taylor, married to former bobsledder Nic Taylor, travels the circuit with their children for months at a time. She credited her family, nannies, and husband for making the victory possible. "My kids have sacrificed so much," she said. "There's so many people who have helped me win this gold medal."
Her children joined the celebrations in Cortina, where she knelt to embrace them after her win, draped in the American flag.
Defying age and redefining limits
Meyers Taylor's gold, alongside Armbruster Humphries' bronze, marked the first time two women over 40 stood on a Winter Olympics podium. Both are mothers, challenging stereotypes about age and parenthood in elite sports.
"You get a lot of people that like to write you off as soon as you reach 40... I think Elana and I are both proof that that's not true."
Kaillie Armbruster Humphries
Former British bobsledder John Jackson, a Sochi 2014 bronze medalist, praised Meyers Taylor's perseverance: "She is not only a ferocious athlete but also a beautiful human being... It shows her true nature."
Legacy beyond medals
Meyers Taylor and Armbruster Humphries were instrumental in adding the monobob to the Olympic program for the 2022 Games. Their advocacy expanded opportunities for women in the sport, which previously featured only the two-woman event.
"It should be celebrated that they're both mums, using mum power, both in their early 40s," Jackson said. "There's a lot of younger athletes there who need to up their game to compete against these two world-class athletes."
