By David Kirton
YANQING, China (Reuters) – Elana Meyers Taylor has overcome many challenges in the 15-year bobsleigh career, but for the 37-year-old mother of a toddler to have overcome COVID-19 and win a silver Olympic medal for the U.S. has to be among the most impressive feats this Games.
Meyers Taylor was ecstatic as she won her fourth Olympic medal under clear-blue skies and surrounded by thick snow at the ‘Flying Snow Dragon’ track in Yanqing on Monday, with cheers for her among the loudest the venue has heard.
“I wanted to cry, I wanted to scream, I wanted to laugh. All the emotions just came out,” she told reporters after the race.
She was supposed to carry the U.S. flag in the opening ceremony nearly two weeks ago, but she tested positive for COVID upon arrival in Beijing and with her husband and son Nico was placed into isolation until getting the all-clear on Feb. 9.
“Two days ago, I said to my coach Brian Shimer, I sat on one of the containers and said, ‘I don’t even know if I should do this right now’.
“I was really questioning whether I should come out. Thanks to my team. Thanks to everybody. They lifted me up and they lifted me up to silver medal.”
Meyers Taylor says she takes inspiration from her son Nico, for whom she took the 2019/20 World Cup season off, who was diagnosed with Down syndrome, as well as profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss.
“He’s with me in and out of the sled all the time, he’s my heart and he’s part of the reason I was motivated to come back to bobsled,” she said.
With her fourth medal she becomes the most-decorated U.S. bobsledder and is tied with her gold-winning team mate Kaillie Humphries for most overall, but three of Humphries’ were for Canada.
That takes her head of her mentor and friend Steve Holcomb, regarded by some as the best bobsleigh pilot of his generation, who died in May 2017.
“It’s bittersweet because I would have loved to see Holcomb win another won in 2018 and I know he would have,” she said.
“He’s part of the reason I’m here to begin with. He guided me through most of my career and I wouldn’t be without him, is all I can say and to be in that kind of company is just incredible.”
Meyers Taylor’s celebrations will be brief, as she now must train for the two-woman bobsleigh that starts on Friday, in what she says likely will be the last race of her career.
“I know now the Germans are going to be very angry, they were crushing us on the world cup circuit so it’s going to come down to being precise and figuring out this track.”
While it will be hard, Meyers Taylor will make the most of it to cap off a glittering career.
“All things must come to an end and I’ve had an incredible journey and if it is my last race I’m going to enjoy the heck out of it.”
(Reporting by David Kirton; Editing by Michael Perry)
