Elana Meyers Taylor arrived at Milan Cortina 2026 with one of the most storied Olympic careers in women’s bobsled history. 

At 41 years old and at her fifth Olympic Games, Meyers Taylor was already a five-time Olympic medalist. Three of them silver, two bronze. 

Her golden moment finally came on Monday at Cortina Sliding Centre.

RESULTS

In a stunning final run, Meyers Taylor, who was second to Germany’s Laura Nolte through the first three heats, was flawless in her last gasp for gold. Then, she stood in the leader’s box as the dominant Nolte started her run. 

And in what was almost unthinkable for Nolte, she staggered. The Beijing 2022 two-woman gold medalist skidded through the middle portion of the track as her margin over Meyers Taylor tumbled. Then, the timer once illuminated in green turned red. When she crossed the line, it was a 0.04-second deficit to her American rival. 

"It actually happened. It’s going to take a while for this to sink in," Meyers Taylor told reporters after the event. "I still can’t believe it. I can’t even put into words what this means, I’m just so excited."

Standing in the leader’s box with Meyers Taylor was Kaillie Humphries, who had already secured her bronze medal. Humphries, who entered the 2026 Games the defending gold medalist in monobob, shared the podium with Meyers Taylor in 2022. This time, Humphries was by Meyers Taylor's side as the latter fell to her knees, overcome with the emotion of finally feeling the very peak of Olympic glory.

"The goal was just to go out and push as hard as I could, drive as best I could, and just take it one step at a time," Humphries told reporters after winning her fifth Olympic medal. I'm really proud to be able to be on the podium with these women, to have the opportunity to continue to do the sport that I love, and to challenge myself physically and mentally."

Kaysha Love finished 7th, capping off an up-and-down four runs for the Utah native. Love was third-fastest after Run 1, but blips in Runs 2 and 4 ate into her time in the end. It is Love’s second Olympic Games but first competing in monobob. 

Meyers Taylor's triumph was packaged with some history. She became the oldest U.S. woman to win a Winter Olympics medal, and for she and Humphries — who are less than a year apart in age — it holds more than just statistical value. Meyers Taylor has three kids, and Humphries gave birth to her first child in 2024. Each have careers spanning over two decades.

 "There were so many moments I thought it wasn’t possible, and I had some really good people in my corner who believed in me," Meyers Taylor told reporters. "And people from all over the world reaching out and telling me their stories, and how they had kids with Down syndrome, they had deaf kids, and how they believed in me, too."

"I am very happy and proud of this result," Humphries told reporters. "It took a lot. I gave birth a year and a half ago, so I was not fully expecting this. 

"You get a lot of people that like to write you off as soon as you reach 40," Humphries continued. "'It's all downhill from there,' is what you hear. I think Elana and I are both proof that that's not true."

Elana Meyers Taylor and Kaillie Humphries pose with Humphries' son Aulden after the two took home gold and bronze women's monobob.

Marco Bertorello/AFP via Getty Images

Meyers Taylor, Humphries and Love are all slated to pilot a sled in the two-woman event, which begins on Friday, Feb. 20 at 12 p.m. ET.