Six-Time Olympic Medalist Elana Meyers Taylor Visits HCS Pre-K Class

HENRY COUNTY, GA – Six-time Olympic medalist Elana Meyers Taylor, a Douglasville native, visited Mt. Carmel Elementary School recently to answer Pre-K students’ questions about bobsledding.

Meyers Taylor is a trailblazing Winter Olympian, having won the most medals of any Black competitor and tied for the most of any U.S. female competitor in the event’s 102-year history.

She won three silver and two bronze medals since 2010 before winning her first gold this year in women’s monobob at the Milano Cortina games in Italy. That win also made her the oldest gold medalist in the event’s history.

Her two sons are deaf, leading to a viral moment after she crossed the finish line and tearfully said, “Mommy won,” in American Sign Language.

She now lives in Texas, but her niece and nephew attend Mt. Carmel Elementary School in Hampton. Her younger son, 3-year-old Noah, came to the school to see his cousins.

Meyers Taylor said Noah and her older son, 6-year-old Nico, inspired her to tell other children about the Olympics.

“If I can encourage them in any way to go after sport and go after their dreams, then I’m going to do it,” she said. “One of the most fun parts of winning a medal is being able to come to schools and share with kids.”

In Michelle Cannon’s Pre-K class, Meyers Taylor passed around her silver and bronze medals and wore her gold around her neck. The students marveled at how heavy the medals were.

Meyers Taylor wore an Olympic Team USA sweatshirt and the same orange sneakers she sported on the podium in Italy. She also autographed photos of herself for each student and staff member in the room.

The students asked how fast Meyers Taylor went on the bobsled. She explained she reaches speeds between 75-100 mph.

“That’s faster than you go on the highway, or than you legally go on the highway,” she said.

In response to more questions, Meyers Taylor described the process and gear she needed to run on ice and stop the bobsled at the end of the race.

The students asked what she ate at the Olympics.

“It’s a lot of really healthy food, which is great, right?” she said. “But not really exciting. It’s like chicken, vegetables and rice. Pretty simple but good for you. …That’s what will give us the best fuel so we can compete.”

Meyers Taylor said she had not decided whether to compete in the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps.

She was 11 years old when the 1996 Summer Olympics took place in Atlanta. The games so close to home, and all their associated excitement, inspired her.

“I just wanted to be an Olympian, whatever it took,” she said.

She played softball as a child, but it has not consistently been an Olympic sport. Her parents saw bobsledding on TV and suggested it.

There are no training facilities for bobsledding in the South, said Meyers Taylor, but in the fall and winter she goes to upstate New York, Utah or Europe to train.

Sonya Thomas, a Pre-K student, said she enjoyed learning about Meyers Taylor’s ice shoes and the brakes on the bobsled. Kyndal Wright, another student, said she liked hearing about the races.

“She went so fast,” Kyndal said.

Mt. Carmel Elementary is one of 11 school sites across HCS that offer the Georgia Lottery Pre-K program. The full-day program prepares 4-year-olds for Kindergarten and beyond, operating according to the regular school calendar.

The application window for the 2026-2027 school year opened in late January, with a lottery drawing in early March. A secondary waitlist application is currently available.

HCS is committed to empowering all students with exceptional opportunities and access that lead to success in a global society. Along with its strong academic focus, the district’s current Community-Inspired Strategic Plan calls for investments and community partnerships that support students’ physical health, wellness, and encourage play-based movement.