Two U.S. mothers of their 40s rocketed to gold and bronze in Olympic bobsled showdown : NPR

[ad_1] <img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3510x2340+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fdb%2F45%2F431213cd43a3a257079af2a6e023%2Fap26047755421087.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3510x2340+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fdb%2F45%2F431213cd43a3a257079af2a6e023%2Fap26047755421087.jpg" class="img" alt="United States' gold medalist Elana Meyers Taylor celebrates at the finish after the women's monobob competition at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026." fetchpriority="high"/> United States' gold medalist Elana Meyers Taylor celebrates on the end after the ladies's monobob competitors on the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. Aijaz Rahi/AP conceal caption

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Aijaz Rahi/AP CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy — In a nail-biting, four-heat race that boiled right down to a contest towards a pair of prime German sliders, Individuals Elana Meyers Taylor, 41, and Kaillie Humphreys, 40, secured silver and bronze medals Monday evening on the icy observe in Cortina.

Meyers Taylor got here from behind within the fourth and ultimate warmth, gliding and banking cleanly into the steep curves and dropping easily into the observe's straight-aways to win her first profession gold. German Laura Nolte, age 27, took silver.

With this win, Meyers Taylor, who has two sons, constructed on her document because the Black athlete with essentially the most Olympic medals in Winter Video games historical past, with a gold, three silver and two bronze.

Humphries, who gave beginning to her son in 2024, now has 3 Olympic gold medals and a pair of bronze.

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4008x2254+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F59%2Fb1%2F2de1c8da425e9bb246848daf8ec8%2Fap26047660843544.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4008x2254+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F59%2Fb1%2F2de1c8da425e9bb246848daf8ec8%2Fap26047660843544.jpg" class="img" alt="United States' Kaillie Humphries slides down the track during a women's monobob run at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026." loading="lazy"/> United States' Kaillie Humphries slides down the observe throughout a girls's monobob run on the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. Alessandra Tarantino/AP conceal caption

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Alessandra Tarantino/AP That is the pair's second Olympics in a row to seek out their solution to the rostrum within the single-person "monobob" race, by which a single athlete pushes after which steers the bobsled down the observe.

On the 2022 Beijing Video games, Humphries gained gold within the occasion. Meyers Taylor examined constructive for Covid and was pressured to coach whereas remoted in her resort room. She was cleared simply in time to race, capturing silver.

The 2 girls are additionally extensively credited with serving to persuade the Worldwide Olympic Committee so as to add the ladies's monobob occasion to the Winter Video games, bringing the game into parity with males's occasions.

"The ladies earlier than me have allowed this to occur and I wish to ensure that continues for all future generations," Humphries mentioned after her 2022 win.

Each girls have spoken publicly in regards to the challenges they've confronted constructing careers as elite athletes whereas additionally parenting. Humphries was identified with endometriosis and underwent IVF remedies earlier than her little one was born.

"I bought again within the bobsled 4 1/2 months postpartum, so it wasn't the perfect timeline," Humphries mentioned earlier than the video games. "I am not a spring rooster anymore."

"It has been fairly a bit on my physique," mentioned Meyers Taylor, citing years of breastfeeding, lack of sleep, again ache, and getting older. "However I would not commerce it for the world."