Women's Health March 13, 2026 0 Comments

How Olympic Champion Elana Meyers Taylor’s Secret Weapon Off the Ice Changed the Game Forever

Ever wondered what it truly takes to grab gold after nearly two decades of relentless grind? Elana Meyers Taylor just nailed that blueprint at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milano Cortina, clinching her first-ever gold medal in her fifth Olympic appearance—and tying the legendary Bonnie Blair for the most medals won by an American woman at the Winter Olympics. It’s not just about speed or strength; it’s about pure, unfiltered perseverance—and a tribe backing you every icy turn of the way. At 41, juggling motherhood and world-class bobsledding, Elana reminds us: no champion wins alone. Curious how she fights the post-Olympic blues, cherishes her “village,” and fine-tunes recovery routines worthy of a warrior? Dive into her story on The Huddle podcast—I guarantee it’s a masterclass in hustle, heart, and humbling teamwork. LEARN MORE

3 min read

With her victory at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milano Cortina, bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor secured an incredibly impressive record: She’s tied with legendary speed skater Bonnie Blair for the most medals won by an American woman at the Winter Olympic Games. Which makes the fact that Elana just now clinched her first gold medal at, this, her fifth Olympics, even more astounding. The portrait of perseverance? You better believe it.

But the 41-year-old mom of two sons (Nico is 6; Noah is 3) is quick to point out that she didn’t win the gold alone. It took a team—on and off the track—to get her where she is today. She reveals all about that beloved “village,” avoiding the post-Olympic blues, and her recovery routine on the latest episode of The Huddle, the Women’s Health podcast where we talk sports, sweat, and everything in between.

Assembling a winning team

When Elana came off the track knowing she’d finally won gold, the first person she hugged wasn’t her coach or her husband but her children’s nanny, Macy. And, later, as Elana spoke on camera about the folks who’d helped her get to this moment, Macy’s name was among them—an acknowledgement of the key role she’s played in Elana’s success and the village often required for working mothers to truly thrive.

“It felt, in that moment, so important to give back to the people who gave so much to me and continue to give so much to me,” Elana says of both Macy and the previous nannies she’s employed since having her second son. “Not only do they love me, they love my family, and they really believe in what we’re doing.”

Elana says it was becoming a mom that ultimately taught her how to ask for help in the first place. “Before that, it was like, ‘No, I’m just gonna stubborn my way through this and do whatever it takes and do it myself.’ But motherhood has definitely humbled me in that regard.”

Beating the post-Olympics blues

Another important part of Elana’s support system? Her husband, Nic Taylor, himself a former Team USA bobsledder who’s now retired from the sport and works as a chiropractor and strength and conditioning coach. As Elana acclimates to life after the Games—and tries to avoid the post-Olympics blues many athletes experience—she says he’s her strongest ally.

“You just don’t know what to do when you get back—even if you win a medal, you’re expected to go back to life as normal,” Elana says. “The coaches and the staff are burned out too, so they need a break too, so it’s not like your same support system that you’ve had this entire time leading up to the Olympics. What really helps is [Nic]’s been through it now, like, he knows what that’s gonna look like.”

Elana says getting back into the everyday tasks of motherhood—like signing up for the PTA—also keeps her busy and grounded. “Having something I could attach my value to outside of sport is what’s really helpful during those hardest moments, because it’s just too much to take on at once after such a high,” she says.

Road to recovery

All those days, weeks, and months spent hurdling down a track at 100 miles per hour takes a toll on the body, so in the aftermath of the Games, Elana is focusing on rest and recovery. Part of that recovery includes compression, which aims to relieve soreness with devices that mimic the effects of a massage.

Elana recently got a pair of Nike x Hyperice recovery boots, and she can already feel the effects. “We wear bobsled spikes, and it’s not the most comfortable,” she says. “Making that investment made a world of difference for me, to have that kind of compression therapy.”

She also pulls them on after a long plane ride (you know, the perfect place for getting all stiff and swollen). “[They] get all the travel out, and I get back to being able to do things fast again,” she says.

To hear more from Elana on trying (and failing) at stay-at-home mom life, celebrating her gold with her kids, and what her perfect rest day would look like, click play on the episode of The Huddle above.

The Huddle by Women’s Health
Hosted by: Abigail Cuffey @alcuffey, Amanda Lucci @alucci, Jacqueline Andriakos @jandriakos
Director / Executive Producer: Dorenna Newton @dorennanew
Director of Photography: Derrick St Pierre @toasttolife
Director of Photography: Romy Kirchauer @romy_rainer
Sound Engineer: Walter Garay @walterandres
Associate Producer: Janie Booth

On-set chairs provided by AllModern
On-set lights from Harlowe @harlowecreators

Amy Wilkinson is a contributing entertainment editor at Women’s Health, where she edits the magazine’s celebrity cover stories and writes health features. She has previously held editor titles at Entertainment Weekly and MTV News. In 2021, Amy completed her 600-hour teacher-training at Core Pilates NYC to become a comprehensively trained Pilates instructor.