Bold opening: History was made in the Italian Alps as Elana Meyers Taylor, at 41 years old, finally grasps Olympic gold in monobob—and with two young sons watching, she seals a moment they’ll someday understand as legendary.
In Cortina d’Ampezzo, Meyers Taylor, a mother of two whose career weathered concussions and years of doubt, rose to become an Olympic champion. She captured the gold in the monobob event at the Milan-C Cortina Games on Monday night, earning her sixth career medal and first Olympic title. “I thought it was impossible,” she admitted afterward, a sentiment that proves she was wrong in the best possible way.
Her triumph also makes her the oldest American woman to hear the national anthem at the Winter Games. After a tense two days and four runs, she finished with a total time of 3 minutes, 57.93 seconds, edging out the competition in a dramatic late surge.
Before this victory, Meyers Taylor had five Olympic medals: three silvers and two bronzes. She was already the most decorated Black athlete in Winter Olympics history, and this latest milestone adds a striking chapter to that record. With her gold, she ties Bonnie Blair for the most Olympic medals won by a U.S. woman in Winter Games history.
“Seeing my name up there with Bonnie Blair—it doesn’t even make sense to me,” Meyers Taylor said.
Germany’s Laura Nolte led after the opening three runs and finished in silver. Kaillie Humphries Armbruster of the U.S. captured bronze, marking her fifth career medal and making her the first woman over 40 to medal in Olympic bobsled, a notable milestone given she crossed the line just seconds before Meyers Taylor.
Humphries Armbruster, who is 40 and a new mother about 18 months into this journey, noted the persistent belief that performance declines with age. She countered that narrative by highlighting Meyers Taylor’s example and underscoring that motherhood doesn’t automatically erase elite athletic capability.
In the final heat, Nolte held the lead going into the last run, with Meyers Taylor in second and Humphries Armbruster close behind. The final run shuffled the podium: Humphries Armbruster posted 3:58.05 to secure bronze, Meyers Taylor surged to silver, and Nolte couldn’t hold the lead, finishing just shy of gold.
Kaysha Love, last year’s world monobob champion for the U.S., faltered in her second and fourth runs and ended up seventh with a time of 3:59.27.
As the U.S. coach Brian Shimer celebrated with a rare display of motion, Meyers Taylor stepped out of the sled, wrapped herself in the American flag, and let a moment of tears and triumph wash over her.
This event marked the fifth Olympic appearance for Meyers Taylor and Humphries Armbruster, both medaling in all four of their previous Games. Humphries Armbruster was also part of Canada’s Olympic team in 2006, though she did not race then in Turin.
In sum, Meyers Taylor’s long journey—from near-misses to a long-sought gold—is a story of resilience, perseverance, and sport-defining persistence that invites readers to rethink what’s possible at any age or stage of life. As Meyers Taylor herself put it with quiet resolve: “I didn’t need it, but I wanted it.”
What’s your take on the evolving narrative of age, motherhood, and peak performance in elite sport?
