Motherhood Fuels Elana Meyers Taylor as She Competes in Her Historic Fifth Olympics

The 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics have arrived! And with them a lot of talented athletes to keep an eye on in a variety of winter sports. Each with their own story and passions. Elana Meyers Taylor, 41, is one of them. The American Olympic bobsledder and most-decorated Black Winter Olympic athlete is also a mother of two. She has competed in every Winter Olympics since 2010.

After first trying out for the Olympic softball team and not making it, she pivoted to bobsledding and, years later, is now not only a decorated athlete but also a leader and mentor in the sport. This is a great reminder to all of us that sometimes, when life doesn’t work out the way we think it should, God always has a better plan. 

She is a Five-Time Olympic Medalist

RELATED: Olympic Runner Falls With Only 1 Lap Left But Refuses To Quit And Wins The Race

Having come to Christ as a softball player at George Washington University, the athlete shares, “At the end of the day, I’m in this sport to glorify God, so if that means I come in last place or I win the gold medal, that’s what I’m going to do.”

Elana is a five-time Olympic medalist and the mother of Nico, 5, and Noah,3. Nico has Down syndrome, and both boys are deaf. Her husband, Nick Taylor, is a retired Olympic bobsledder. And, they work together as a family to make her dreams a reality. Her boys are her biggest motivator.

“It’s so much fun to have my boys with me,” she says about having them with her on the road in an interview with ABC10. “So much chaos, I miss a lot of sleep, don’t get me wrong, it would be a lot different if they weren’t there. They're my biggest motivators to have them by my side.”

She Loves That Her Boys Can Be With Her

She loves that they can be there, meeting her teammates and meeting people from all over the world. And of course, watching people achieve their goals at the highest level.

Elana then goes on to share what is harder, being an Olympian or a mom. “Being a mom is way harder than being an Olympian. I can’t even put into words the comparison…” she says.

She even compares getting kids out of the house for school to an Olympic event. This is so relatable to anyone with children.

RELATED: 16 Skaters Step Onto The Ice And Stun With An Incredible Synchronized Ice Skating Routine

Competing is a Way to Be An Example For Her Kids

Not only is having her kids with her in her Olympic world good for them, but it is also good for others. “With Nico, a lot of times, the people we meet, he’s the first person with Down syndrome they have ever met, or my kids are the first deaf people people have ever met…it normalizes disability in a sense,” the Olympian shares.

While Elana admits this is all hard, it is also a way for her to continue pursuing her goals and be an example to her kids.

She Hopes to Win Two Medals

When asked about her goals for the 2026 Olympic Games, she shares that she hopes to win two gold medals. “It would be an absolute dream to be able to give my sons two gold medals. I feel like Noah would probably take both of them,” she says with a laugh. “They're the reason I’m out here doing this. If I could bring a medal home to them, it would be an amazing dream.”

Nick, her husband, is also a big support, from taking care of the kids to helping her train. It’s wonderful that she does have such a supportive spouse, who also, as a retired bobsledder, knows what it is like to compete in the sport. 

The Olympics Brings People Together

When it comes to the Olympics bringing people together, she shares that, “the message of the Olympics is huge, especially…you know, it feels so divided in this country, sometimes, but the Olympics is that place that doesn’t matter what your political stance is, it doesn’t matter your background, it’s that one moment where you can all sit together and cheer on Team USA.”

She was then asked about what she might do after her own Olympic career is over. She then shared her strong passion for disability, noting that she had served on the Georgia Council of Developmental Disabilities. “If I can combine my love of the Olympics and the Paralympics with advocating for people with disabilities, too? Then that would be the dream.”

Her Team is There For Her and Her Boys

And those on her team? They also support her boys in so many ways, including trying to learn ASL to sign with them and do what they can to help them, and Elana, too.

When asked what she does to be able to focus on her race when the time comes, she says, “Believe it or not, and I think most parents can appreciate this, when I have that moment before competing, it’s like my time, it’s finally time to focus on myself and make sure that I have whatever I need to do whatever I set out to do.”

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Female Olympic Swimmer Tatjana Schoenmaker Gives God All The Glory At Tokyo Olympics 2021

Elana Meyers Taylor Has Found a Way to Balance it All

While it must be a balancing act between kids and an Olympic career, Elana is nailing it. And her communities, both the bobsled and deaf communities, is a big reason why. “Me and my husband have always had the conversation that if it got to the point where Nico needed us to not bobsled, we’d quit bobsled, or if Noah needed us to not bobsled, we’d quit bobsled, but somehow, with a great community around us, we've been able to make it work,” she says in an interview with NBC Bay Area.

We wish Elana Meyers Taylor good luck as she competes in the bobsled races at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. Hopefully, she can earn her two gold medals and give one to each of her boys. What a special thing to be a part of as a young child. Many blessings to her and her family.

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith". - 2 Timothy 4:7

WATCH: Elana Meyers Taylor Shares About Raising Her Boys Along With Her Olympic Career!

LISTEN: Born in the Middle of WWI, This 108-Year-Old is Still Going Strong | Brave Father Runs Back Into Burning Home to Rescue Daughter

h/t: NBC Bay Area

Featured Image Credit: YouTube/ABC 10

Julie Provost is a GodUpdates staff writer and editor. She lives in Tennessee with her husband, three boys, and little dog Max. She loves to read, go to the movies, and enjoy time with family and friends.