By Blessing Nweke
Elana Meyers Taylor, the most decorated female bobsledder of all time, captured her long-awaited first Olympic gold medal Monday, edging out Germany’s Laura Nolte in a thrilling women’s monobob final at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Entering the fourth and final heat, Meyers Taylor trailed Nolte by 0.15 seconds after finishing just behind her in the third run. But the 41-year-old American delivered a near-flawless final slide to surge into first place, clinching gold by a razor-thin margin of just 0.04 seconds.
The victory marks a milestone in an already storied Olympic career. Meyers Taylor made her Olympic debut at the 2010 Winter Olympics, earning bronze in the two-woman bobsled event. She followed with silver medals at the 2014 Winter Olympics and 2018 Winter Olympics. At the 2022 Winter Olympics, she added another bronze and a silver in the Olympic debut of the monobob.
Now a six-time Olympic medalist, Meyers Taylor said this gold stands above the rest — not just because it’s her first.
“This is definitely the top,” she said after the medal ceremony, standing alongside her two young sons, Nico and Noah. “To be able to do this with my kids — it’s just incredible.”
She emphasized that despite her historic win, motherhood remains her priority. “In six days, I’ll be at school drop-offs,” she said. “I’ll be ‘mom’ before I’m a gold medalist.”
Teammate Kaillie Humphries, who claimed bronze, said their performances prove that age and motherhood are no barriers to excellence.
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