Elana Meyers Taylor Using Sign Language to Tell Her Son She Won Was Such a Sweet Moment

Elana Meyers Taylor, the most decorated female bobsledder in the sport's history, came into the Milan Cortina Games still chasing the ultimate prize. Despite a long list of Olympic success, the 41-year-old had never climbed to the top of the podium with gold around her neck, until Monday when she finished women's monobob competition .04 seconds faster than German's Laura Nolte to finally break through.
It was arguably the best feel-good moment for Team USA so far in Italy as the bobsledder has an amazing story to tell. She's balanced motherhood and world-class athletics to become a six-time Olympic medalist, an American record she now shares with Bonnie Blair.
The mother of two deaf children, Meyers Taylor was captured signing to one of her sons that "mommy won."
Elana Meyers Taylor signs to her son: "Mommy won." 🥇#WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/LUz4MAMrsR
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) February 17, 2026
"I can't put it into words," she said in an interview with NBC Sports after the victory. "I can't believe it. It took so many people to get here. It's so much work for everybody."
The most decorated U.S. Woman athlete in #WinterOlympics history finally gets her gold medal. pic.twitter.com/Oekbn2fFr8
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 17, 2026
"I'm just so grateful right now," she continued after listing off her support group. "It's so amazing to finally have done it. I have finally broke through.
"To be able to have them down there, I think Noah's mad that I left him a little bit but I hope one day he understands what this all meant and what he had to sacrifice to get here too. Because my kids have sacrificed so much and they're so wonderful and like, I'm just so grateful."
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Kyle Koster is an assistant managing editor at Sports Illustrated covering the intersection of sports and media. He was formerly the editor in chief of The Big Lead, where he worked from 2011 to '24. Koster also did turns at the Chicago Sun-Times, where he created the Sports Pros(e) blog, and at Woven Digital.
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