2026 Winter Olympics: Elana Meyers Taylor, 41, makes history for U.S. with individual gold medal in monobob

Competing in her fifth Winter Olympics with five career medals to her credit, 41-year-old American Elana Meyers Taylor made history Monday after becoming the oldest woman to win gold in any individual event. Meyers Taylor clipped Germany's Laura Nolte in the women's monobob with a four-run total time of 3:57.93 at Cortina Sliding Centre for her first gold medal.

Meyers Taylor was behind Nolte in second after her first three runs before a near-perfect final showing. Nolte finished 0.04-seconds behind her, leading to jubilation from Meyers Taylor and Team USA teammate Kaillie Humphries, who captured bronze.

"There were so many moments I thought it wasn't possible, and I had some really good people in my corner who believed in me," Meyers Taylor said. "And people from all over the world reaching out and telling me their stories, and how they had kids with Down syndrome, they had deaf kids, and how they believed in me, too."

After the improbable, record-setting victory, Meyers Taylor's children leaped into her arms. With the American flag draped around her, Meyers Taylor used sign language to celebrate with her sons, Nico and Noah, before hugging Humphries and Nolte with medal in hand.

"It actually happened. It's going to take a while for this to sink in," Meyers Taylor said. "I still can't believe it. I can't even put into words what this means, I'm just so excited."

Prior to Monday's heroics, Meyers Taylor had captured three silver and two bronze Olympic medals and was not considered the favorite to win the monobob event. Humphries was the defending gold medalist from the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing after previously sharing the podium with Meyers Taylor, who took silver in the event.

"You get a lot of people that like to write you off as soon as you reach 40," Humphries said. "'It's all downhill from there,' is what you hear. I think Elana and I are both proof that that's not true."

Meyers Taylor's relentless training over the last decade and change culminated with medal triumphs in Vancouver (2010), Sochi (2014), Pyeongchang (2018) and Beijing (2022). This was the most special showing, however, as she captured an elusive gold in what is likely her final Winter Olympics appearance.

Meyers Taylor credited her team and family for sacrifices they have made throughout her athletics career. She's had several close calls for gold, including a loss to Humphries by a tenth of a second in 2014, but this storybook ending at Milano Cortina was the payoff she's been waiting for over the last 16 years.

"This medal is also for all those moms who weren't necessarily able to live their dreams, but their kids are now their dreams," Meyers Taylor said. "Because those people keep me grounded. Those people kept me going and those people are the ones who reach out to me when things are hard and encourage me."