CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Elana Meyers Taylor’s two young sons watched as she soared through the air, raised her fists in triumph, waved the American flag, then dropped to her knees, overcome with emotion.
Eventually, they will grasp the significance of what they witnessed.
They witnessed history.
The 41-year-old U.S. bobsledder, a mother of two, whose career faced uncertainties due to concussions and who navigated considerable skepticism in recent years, has finally achieved Olympic glory. Meyers Taylor clinched the gold medal in monobob at the Milan Cortina Games on Monday night, marking her sixth career medal and her first Olympic title.
“I thought it was impossible,” Meyers Taylor remarked.
She was thrilled to be proven wrong.
Meyers Taylor became the oldest American woman to have “The Star-Spangled Banner” played in her honor at the Winter Games. Rallying during the fourth and final heat, she finished with a cumulative time of 3 minutes, 57.93 seconds over four runs spanning two days.
Having previously earned five medals — three silver and two bronze — she was already the most decorated Black athlete at any Winter Olympics before this victory, and her legacy became even more remarkable on that chilly evening in the Italian Alps. This sixth medal tied her with Bonnie Blair for the most by a U.S. woman in Winter Olympic history.
“To have my name alongside Bonnie Blair’s is surreal,” Meyers Taylor said.
Germany’s Laura Nolte, who led after the first, second, and third runs, secured second place, with Kaillie Humphries Armbruster from the U.S. in third.
“I feel a bit sad because it feels like I’ve lost gold rather than won silver. I think I’ll celebrate in a few hours, as it’s still a fantastic result,” Nolte said. “Elana fully deserves this. She’s an amazing person who’s medaled multiple times and was just missing the gold.”
This marks Humphries Armbruster’s fifth career medal. At 40 and approximately 18 months postpartum, she claimed the title of the first woman aged 40 or older to earn an Olympic bobsled medal, finishing her round just 2 minutes and 29 seconds before Meyers Taylor joined the ranks of the 40-something medalists.
“People often say once you hit 40, it’s all downhill. Elana and I are living proof that’s not the case,” Humphries Armbruster stated. “After becoming a mom, your body changes, and it’s challenging to regain that elite performance, but we’ve shown that it is possible once again.”
Nolte entered the final run with a lead of 0.15 seconds; Meyers Taylor was in second, followed by Humphries Armbruster just 0.24 seconds back. With no one else within 0.6 seconds of Humphries Armbruster, the gold, silver, and bronze seemed secure among the top three, barring any significant errors.
Sliding in reverse order, Humphries Armbruster went first among the final three competitors, followed by Meyers Taylor, then Nolte.
Humphries Armbruster clocked in at 3:58.05, knowing she had secured her fifth medal. As her sled came to a halt, she was already on her feet, celebrating, aware that at least a bronze was assured.
U.S. coach Brian Shimer, usually composed, began celebrating enthusiastically. The stage was then set for Meyers Taylor, who knew she would not finish worse than silver, and she wrapped herself in the American flag after exiting her sled.
Nolte, despite her lead, was unable to hold on in the final run.
Kaysha Love, the reigning world monobob champion for the U.S., faced difficulties during her second and fourth runs, finishing seventh with a total time of 3:59.27.
“Seeing Elana win was iconic,” Love commented.
Humphries Armbruster won gold in the inaugural monobob event at the 2022 Beijing Games, with Meyers Taylor taking silver.
This marks the fifth Olympics for both Meyers Taylor and Humphries Armbruster, each having medaled in all four prior appearances; Humphries Armbruster was also part of the Canadian Olympic team in 2006 but did not compete in those Turin Games.
They have now both medaled in all five Olympics. And at long last, Meyers Taylor has her moment of gold.
“I didn’t necessarily need it,” Meyers Taylor said. “But I really wanted it.”
