Of the seven Black women on Team USA at the Olympic Winter Games in Milan Cortina, four competed in bobsled, and two of those athletes won medals. When all the heats were complete, the U.S. bobsled team won three medals. Elana Meyers Taylor won gold and Kaillie Armbruster Humphries bronze in monobob. In addition, Armbruster Humphries and Jasmine Jones took the bronze in the two-woman bobsled, continuing a tradition of bobsled success for the United States.
By the time Vonetta Flowers received her gold medal at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, becoming the first Black athlete to win gold in the Winter Olympics, track athletes were not new to bobsled. Olympic Champion hurdler Willie Davenport had competed on the men’s team 22 years prior, but Flowers’ victory signaled a pivotal moment in the sport. This year, bobsled was the most diverse sport for the U.S. with four women and one man of color representing red, white and blue.
As U.S. athletes in bobsled and skeleton have become increasingly prominent on the international stage, Elana Meyers Taylor has stood out as a central figure. The five-time Olympian, six-time Olympic medalist has been key in recruiting and mentoring women entering bobsled from other sports.
“Elana is the definition of hard work, dedication and teamwork,” said Lauren Gibbs, a former collegiate volleyball player who was Meyers Taylor’s brakewoman at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, winning silver. “She not only wants to win, but she wants to improve the sport and improve the experience for athletes in this sport.”
Gibbs noted that Meyers Taylor has been one of the top recruiters for the U.S. women’s team, having recruited Gibbs and Jones. “So many athletes who have gone on to live their Olympic dream,” said Gibbs, a real estate investor and corporate keynote speaker. “She’s one of the best humans and one of the best moms … She has two fantastic kids and an incredible husband. They’re an amazing team. My life wouldn’t be this fantastic if it wasn’t for her.”
Lauryn Williams made Olympic history when she was Meyers Taylor’s brakewoman at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia, winning silver. Already a silver and gold Olympic medalist in track, Williams became the first and still only U.S. woman to win medals at both the Summer and Winter Games.
“Elana has been game-changing for bobsled,” said Williams, a financial educator, speaker and now new mom. “She’s put the sport on the map as far as notoriety.”
Williams noted that Meyers Taylor’s Instagram followers doubled after her gold medal in monobob, saying many more people will know about bobsled because of her. The ever-growing presence of track and field athletes speaks to the type of influence she’s had.
“She’s gone out and done the hard work of bringing other women into a sport that not very many people know about and giving them an opportunity,” said Williams. “Track and field may not have worked out for them or it was time to transition — I know that was my case. … You don’t realize that you can use your body in a different way and still be world class. It’s really awesome the way that she’s been a fire-starter in getting people into the sport but also the way she’s changing the world as a mom, as a Black woman. There are so many pieces to her puzzle.”
Meyers Taylor’s two sons, Nico and Noah, are both deaf. Her husband, Nic Taylor, was seen speaking in sign language during the gold medal ceremony. Williams said Meyers Taylor is the most inspiring athlete of these Olympics.
In terms of earning a spot in sports history, Williams knows she couldn’t have achieved it without Meyers Taylor. Bobsled, she explained, is very much a team sport, not just the two people in the two-person sled but also the team behind the scenes. “Elana has said that many times,” said Williams. “She was a really important part of me getting that medal — her patience, her persistence, her explaining things to me … She changed the way that people think about what they can accomplish because they’ve watched what she’s accomplished.”
Gibbs agreed. “Besides being one of my favorite people and one of my best friends, Elana helped me see what I was capable of,” said Gibbs. “That’s bigger than any medal you could have ever asked for. Knowing what you’re capable of, believing in yourself is probably the best gift she’s given me.”