Elana Meyers Taylor’s victory in her fifth Olympics was about far more than gold

Bryan Armen Graham in Milan Tue, 17 February 2026 at 1:12 pm UTC·6 min read Elana Meyers Taylor had already cemented her place in Olympic history long before Monday night. She had competed with and against men on the World Cup tour and at the world championships to help force women’s monobob into the Winter Olympic program. She had surpassed the speed skater Shani Davis as the most decorated Black athlete in Winter Games history. She had stacked more Olympic medals than any female bobsledder ever, reaching the podium at Vancouver, Sochi, Pyeongchang and Beijing. But even at the age of 40, with a bad back and a concussion history, even with the added responsibility and time pressures of...