Winter Olympics: Just racing at Games is a 'victory' for Covid-hit bobsleigher Meyers Taylor
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Elana Meyers Taylor in action during the women's monobob training, on Feb 11, 2022.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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YANQING, China (AFP) - Olympic bobsleigh pilot Elana Meyers Taylor counts just being able to race as a victory, after having been isolated because of a positive Covid-19 test, including from her two-year-old son.
"Yesterday was the first day I didn't bawl my eyes out, so being able to race is a victory in itself," said the 37-year-old American, who sits fourth overnight in the monobob heats, on Sunday (Feb 13).
Meyers Taylor is racing at her fourth Winter Games, but her plans were thrown into turmoil when she tested positive just after arriving in China, as did all her family travelling with her.
She said it was especially hard to be apart from her son Nico, who has been diagnosed with Down syndrome.
"He is my everything," she said. "He's been there at every race (this season), every practice and sleeping next to me.
"So to have that shock of him not being next to me, especially at an Olympics, has been difficult."
She said she had seen her son for only a minute here and there because of the isolation restrictions.
"When I have got to put him down, he's grasping for me, crawling out the door," she added.
Meyers Taylor is this winter's overall World Cup winner in both monobob and the two-woman bob.
In Beijing, she will also race in the latter, which starts on Friday (Feb 18) - an event she won silver in at the last two Winter Games.
In the monobob, Meyers Taylor is trailing overnight leader Kaillie Humphries by 1.32sec before Monday's (Feb 14) decisive two heats.
But on Sunday (Feb 13), she set a new track record for the start section in her opening race.
"Not too bad for a 37-year-old mum coming off a pregnancy!" she laughed.
Meyers Taylor hopes she can close the gap on Monday, despite her preparations being disrupted by having had to isolate.
"I drive better when I'm having fun and with everything that's been going on, I have not enjoyed myself," she said.
"Isolation is not a good place for anybody, especially at an Olympics when you are supposed to be at the peak of your peak.
"All your ducks are supposed to be in a row, but everything feels like it's crumbling.
"You lose all sense of control. You can't even open your own door, you can't choose what you eat... It's been really hard mentally to get back into it."
She says she will be racing to make her baby son proud.
"My son is a trooper and with all his disabilities, I didn't know how he would be, but he has handled it like a champ."
