Team USA bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor is most decorated Black athlete in history of Winter Olympics

Associated Press / Mark Schiefelbein

American bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor said she was overwhelmed after she clinched a bronze on Saturday during the two-woman bobsleigh event, making her the most decorated Black athlete in Winter Olympic history with five medals, CNN reported.

“That is overwhelming,” the Olympic athlete replied when asked about outpacing the number of Olympic medals of speed skater Shani Davis, who has four medals, according to the network.

Meyers Taylor also won a silver medal in the monobob event earlier this week, The Washington Post reported. Prior to the 2022 Beijing Olympics, she won a bronze during the 2020 Vancouver Winter Olympics and silver medals at the Sochi 2014 and PyeongChang 2018 Olympics respectively, according to CNN.

Meyers Taylor celebrated her latest medal with her father and son virtually. 

“Dad, we did it! We did it! We got another one,” she told her father, who was holding her son.

“Great job! Great job! That was awesome,” her father said. 

Following the event, the American bobsledder said that she hopes her achievements would encourage more Black athletes to compete.

“It’s so crazy to hear that stat and to know that I’m part of a legacy that’s bigger than me. Hopefully it just encourages more and more Black athletes to come out to winter sports and not just Black athletes, winter sports for everybody,” she said, according to CNN.

According to NBC Olympic’s medal tally, the United States has so far captured 24 medals. Norway has the most at 35 medals, followed by the Russian Olympic Committee at 31, Canada at 25 and Germany with 24.

Tags Winter Olympics

Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Most Popular

Load more