Elana Meyers Taylor’s emotional victory in the monobob event at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics made history as she clinched her first Olympic gold medal. The 41-year-old American bobsledder, a mother of two children with special needs, overcame career obstacles like concussions and doubts to achieve this milestone.
After securing her sixth career medal, Meyers Taylor expressed her disbelief at winning the gold, stating it seemed impossible. She became the oldest American woman to have the national anthem played in her honor at the Winter Games. With a final time of three minutes 57.93 seconds, she triumphed in the fourth heat of the competition.
Laura Nolte of Germany, who led in the initial runs, settled for silver, while Kaillie Humphries Armbruster from the U.S. claimed the bronze. Nolte acknowledged Meyers Taylor’s deserving victory and expressed gratitude for her own achievement.
Humphries Armbruster, a former Canadian Olympian who switched to the U.S. team, made history by winning gold in the inaugural monobob event at Beijing 2022. She became the first woman to secure gold medals for two different countries in Olympic history.
Notably, Meyers Taylor and Humphries Armbruster, both seasoned Olympians, have maintained a perfect record of winning medals in all their previous Olympic appearances. The recent victory marked a significant milestone for Meyers Taylor, who expressed her desire for the gold and her ultimate satisfaction in attaining it.
Canadian bobsledders have consistently performed well in past Games, with Appiah’s recent monobob silver being a highlight. Despite facing financial challenges and changes in funding, the Canadian team is determined to focus on the process rather than just the results in the ongoing Olympic event.
In the two-man bobsleigh event, Germany dominated the first two heats, with Canada’s top sled finishing 15th. The competition continues with heats 3 and 4 scheduled for the following day.
