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A New Braunfels resident has won Olympic gold in a sport rarely associated with Texas.
Elana Meyers Taylor captured gold Monday in the women's monobob at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Monobob is the individual version of bobsledding, where athletes push and pilot their sled alone.
The 41-year-old Meyers Taylor finished with a combined time of 3 minutes, 57.93 seconds — just four-hundredths of a second ahead of Germany's Laura Nolte, underscoring how close the competition was.
Afterward, Meyers Taylor expressed disbelief at finally reaching the top of the podium. "It actually happened. It's going to take a while for this to sink in," she told reporters. "I still can't believe it."
The victory was especially meaningful as a mother of two young sons. Meyers Taylor said her Olympic journey represents more than her own accomplishments. "I represent more than just myself now," she said. "I represent my kids, but also I represent a lot of moms back home."
Despite the historic moment, she also reflected on how quickly she'll return to normal life in Texas. "In six days, I've got school pick-up and drop-offs in the middle of Texas," she said. "Like none of this stuff, I can't wear any of it when I go home."
This was Meyers Taylor's fifth Olympics and her sixth career medal, tying her for the most by any U.S. woman in Winter Olympic history.
Her gold medal victory highlights not only her longevity in the sport, but also the unlikely rise of a Texas-based athlete to the pinnacle of competition on ice.
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