CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy – American bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor finally captured her first Olympic gold medal at the age of 41 on Monday, claiming the Monobob title by a razor-thin margin of just four hundredths of a second. The mother of two added the crowning achievement to an already remarkable career.

Germany’s Laura Nolte led going into the final run but lost crucial time on the tricky upper section of the track, settling for silver behind Meyers Taylor. American defending champion Kaillie Humphries, also a mother and 40 years old, took bronze.

Meyers Taylor had previously earned three silver and two bronze medals over four Olympic Games, and appeared destined for another minor medal—until the final seconds of a nerve-wracking contest changed everything.

Nolte, a 2022 Two-Woman gold medalist, opened Monday’s competition with a 59.15-second track record, seemingly setting herself up for victory. But Meyers Taylor responded with a flawless run of 59.08 seconds, immediately setting a new record that Humphries matched.

That left Nolte with only a 0.15-second lead going into the final run. Humphries clocked 59.54, securing bronze well ahead of Germany’s Lisa Buckwitz.

In the final run, Meyers Taylor posted a smooth 59.51, leaving the door open for Nolte. The 27-year-old German clipped a wall early and suffered another skid, finishing with 59.70 seconds—enough for silver but not gold.

Four years ago, Germany failed to medal in the Monobob, despite dominating other bobsleigh events. Nolte has since become a two-time world champion and World Cup leader, but on Monday, Meyers Taylor’s Olympic experience proved decisive.

“Winning a gold medal would mean everything and would mean nothing… there’s so much more to my life,” Meyers Taylor said last week. On Monday, wrapped in the American flag and beaming, she reflected, “I don’t think I’m going to process this for a while. There were so many moments in the last four years I thought it was impossible, but the team around me believed in me. I didn’t need it, I wanted it—and that’s what kept me going.”

Meyers Taylor also drew a personal connection to speed skating legend Bonnie Blair, whose six Winter Olympic medals she now matches. “At my first Games in 2010, Bonnie Blair welcomed us into the Olympic family. To now have my name in the same sentence as hers is just crazy.”

Humphries praised Meyers Taylor and celebrated her own bronze. “People often write you off after 40, saying it’s all downhill. Elana and I are proof that’s not true. For any girl dreaming of being a high-performance athlete, standing on an Olympic podium, and being a mom at the same time—it can happen.”

Nolte, meanwhile, expressed her disappointment. “After four runs, to finish in silver by four hundredths is very sad. I made one mistake at the top that cost me speed, and I knew it would be hard to maintain the lead.”

Meyers Taylor’s triumph caps a career defined by resilience, skill, and perseverance—proof that age and experience can be just as powerful as youth in Olympic sport.

-Reporting by Mitch Phillips; Editing by Christian Radnedge and Toby Davis/Reuters