Elana Meyers

Elana Meyers Taylor, born Elana Alessandra Meyers on October 10, 1984, in Oceanside, California, grew up in Douglasville, Georgia. Her early athletic career included excelling in multiple sports in high school and attending George Washington University on a softball scholarship, where she played shortstop and pitcher. Her journey into bobsled began in 2007, making the national team in her rookie season. This marked the start of a distinguished career that would see her become one of the most decorated athletes in the sport’s history within a short span of time.

Meyers Taylor’s Olympic debut was at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games as a push athlete, where she earned a bronze medal. Transitioning to a bobsled pilot the following year, she secured a silver medal at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. Her career continued to ascend, achieving significant milestones such as becoming the most decorated Black athlete in Winter Olympic history at the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games, where she won a silver in women’s monobob and a bronze in 2-woman bobsled. She has accumulated a total of five Olympic medals across four Olympic appearances, consistently reaching the podium.

Beyond her Olympic achievements, Meyers Taylor has garnered ten World Championships medals, including four gold, three silver, and three bronze. She has also been a dominant force on the World Cup circuit, securing 21 World Cup wins and two overall IBSF World Cup gold medals in the two-woman bobsled. Her influence extends beyond competition through her advocacy for children with disabilities, driven by her two sons, Nico and Noah, both of whom are deaf and Nico having Down syndrome. She actively works with various Down Syndrome organizations and has been a vocal advocate for equality for female athletes, serving as president of the Women’s Sports Foundation in 2019.