Elana Meyers Taylor is bobsled royalty. The 41-year-old is looking forward to her fifth Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina. Her husband, the East Bay’s Nic Taylor, has been right by her side; in between the past four Olympics, Elana gave birth to two sons.
Elana Meyers Taylor is America’s most decorated black athlete in the Winter Olympics. The five-time Olympic medalist has three silver and two bronze medals. But, her most important role is mom to five-year-old Nico and two-year-old Noah.
“A day in the life for me as a mom, as an athlete, is absolute chaos, both of my sons are deaf, and my oldest has Down syndrome as well,” Meyers Taylor said.
Meyers Taylor says since the birth of her second son in 2022, training at a high level has been a building process.
“It’s this balance between trying to figure out how to get the maximal training in and not maximal amount of time because I literally don’t have the time. We really work on quality over quantity,” she said.
Her husband, the East Bay’s Nic Taylor, is a former Olympic bobsledder and is instrumental in her training. Elana calls him her chiropractor, strength and conditioning coach.
“My attitude mostly comes from Nick. Nick is the most positive person I’ve ever met in my life,” Meyers Taylor said.
Elana and Nic credit their support network in bobsled and in the deaf community for helping them adjust to their life.
“Somehow with a great community around us, we’ve been able to make it work. We’ve been to figure out how to get services and get the things that are best for them and also develop their language,” she said.
Myers Taylor says this job is a privilege she doesn’t take for granted, especially as she heads into her fifth Olympics.
“There’s one thing I have left to do. I want to win a gold medal more than anything. You’re never guaranteed another games, but this game definitely feels like it might be my last shot. So we’re gonna give it everything we have,” she said.
