Team USA bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor has finally secured the one thing that has eluded her over five Olympic Games: a gold medal.
At 41 years old, Meyers Taylor won the women’s monobob on Monday in Italy, officially becoming the oldest American Winter Olympian to win gold and the most decorated black Winter Olympian of all time.
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The victory was a family affair from the start.
As Meyers Taylor stood on the podium during the national anthem, her husband, fellow bobsledder Nic Taylor, was seen signing to their son to explain the magnitude of their mother’s achievement.
Both of the couple’s children, Nico and Noah, are deaf, and throughout the season, Elana has been teaching them signs for terms like “gold medal” and “Olympic champion.”
Following the race, she jumped in celebration before relaying the news to her sons via sign language with a glowing smile.
‘The Moment We Prayed For’
Shortly after the historic win, Meyers Taylor took to Instagram to share her heart with her followers. Sharing a video of the celebration, she wrote: “The moment we prayed for. Glory to God,” and added the definitive tag, “Forever an Olympic Champion.”
Speaking with reporters from NBC after the race, the gravity of the moment was still sinking in for the veteran athlete.
““I can’t put it into words. I can’t believe it. It took so many people to get here. It’s so much work for everybody. Like, my husband, my kids, my nanny Macy, my nannies along the way, my parents, everybody. I’m just so grateful right now,” Meyers Taylor told NBC. “It’s just so amazing to finally have done it.”
A Higher Purpose
For Meyers Taylor, the journey to gold was never just about the hardware. She has been open about her mission to use her athletic platform as a way to honor her faith.
“God put me here for a specific reason, and I don’t think it’s just to win medals,” Meyers Taylor previously said. “At the end of the day, I’m in this sport to glorify God, so if that means I come in last place, or I win the gold medal, that’s what I’m going to do.”
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With six total Olympic medals now to her name, she is tied with speed skating legend Bonnie Blair for the most Winter Olympic medals won by an American woman.
But as she embraced her sons on the ice, telling them, “We did it, we did it,” it was clear that her role as a mother and her service to God remain her primary titles.
Congratulations to Elana and the entire Taylor family on this historic, well-deserved win.
Caleb Parke is an award-winning independent journalist. Follow him on X, Facebook, Instagram, and connect with him at calebparke.com.
