Elana Meyers Taylor storms to monobob gold at 41
Elana Meyers Taylor clinched the women’s monobob Olympic title on Monday, February 16, 2026 (ET), delivering the gold the American veteran had long sought. The 41-year-old sealed a dramatic win on the final run as a late lead change reshaped the podium.
A long-awaited Olympic gold
Meyers Taylor produced a composed, powerful final run to take the top spot, ending a decades-long chase for an Olympic gold medal. The victory completes an extraordinary Olympic résumé that already included multiple silver and bronze medals across four previous Games. She had finished on the podium in Vancouver, Sochi, PyeongChang and Beijing, but gold had remained out of reach—until now.
The final heat saw a dramatic swing when Germany’s early leader relinquished the top spot on the last descent, opening the door for Meyers Taylor and securing a U. S. 1-3 finish in the event. The result was both a personal triumph and a notable moment for the U. S. sliding team, with the veteran’s experience and steadiness proving decisive under pressure.
Resilience through setbacks and a veteran mindset
At 41, Meyers Taylor is one of the oldest competitors to win in a speed-and-power winter event, a testament to longevity and training discipline. When speaking before the Games, she embraced the role of seasoned contender and coined a wartime-of-sorts mantra for high-stakes moments: "I'm money under pressure. " That confidence has grounded a career defined by both podium consistency and perseverance through injury.
This season had been far from perfect: she entered the Games without a first-place World Cup finish, managed chronic back pain and suffered a frightening crash in Switzerland in recent weeks. Still, she maintained focus and converted experience into a gold-medal performance. Off the ice, Meyers Taylor has also navigated life as a mother to two young sons, Nico, 5, and Noah, 3, both of whom are deaf, and has spoken about the personal stakes that fuel her competitiveness.
What the win means for the Games and for her legacy
The monobob title not only fills the one gap in Meyers Taylor’s Olympic trophy cabinet, it also reshapes narratives about longevity in elite winter sport. Her gold arrives amid a busy day of finals and upsets across the programme, reinforcing the Games’ knack for dramatic finishes and emotional crowning moments.
For the U. S. team, the sweep of gold and bronze in the women’s monobob underscores depth and talent in the sliding disciplines. For Meyers Taylor personally, the victory offers a career-defining capstone that validates years of pursuit and recovery. At an age when many athletes have retired, she leaves an indelible example for younger competitors and for parents who watch her balance elite sport with family life.
As the Games continue, attention now turns to several upcoming events—including aerials qualifiers, snowboard slopestyle finals, speed skating pursuits and figure-skating short programs—where more unexpected outcomes and breakout performances are likely to follow the kind of momentum Meyers Taylor supplied on Monday.
