Photo: Elana Meyers Taylor pushes at the start of the second heat

IGLS, Austria (November 27, 2021) – Elana Meyers Taylor (Douglasville, Ga.) claimed her second consecutive women’s monobob World Cup win this morning in a snowy Igls, making her undefeated so far this season. Reigning world champion Kaillie Humphries (Carlsbad, Calif.) finished sixth.

“It was an incredibly close race,” Meyers Taylor said. “Snow races, and races in Igls in general, are always close. You just have to go out there and do the best you can. As a driver you have to decide if you take snow lines or take the lines you’re comfortable with, and it’s always difficult to navigate which is best. We saw that play out with the results and a lot of shuffling with finishes in the second heat.”

Meyers Taylor powered the Omaze branded sled off the block in 5.83 and 5.91 seconds for the second fastest push times of the field in both heats.  She had a large lead of 0.16 seconds with the fastest downtime of 55.51 seconds in the first heat. 

Germany’s Laura Nolte was in sixth place after the first heat, but she threw down the fastest time of the second heat to make a run for gold. Meyers Taylor responded with a second run of 56.09 to hold onto her lead by 0.05 seconds. She claimed her second women’s monobob gold medal of the season with a combined time of 1:51.60.

As soon as Meyers Taylor got out of her sled at the finish, she waved to the camera and said hi to her son, Nico, who is watching from the team hotel in Igls.

“It’s always a race to get back to the hotel after races to see Nico and hang out with him,” Meyers Taylor said. “When we race in the morning, I don’t get to see him before I leave the hotel. I always think about him all of the time. That’s what I’m here for, to show him what’s possible.”

Nolte earned the silver medal with a two-run total of 1:51.65, followed by Britain’s Breeana Walker in third with a cumulative time of 1:51.79.

Humphries powered the Reign Total Body Fuel branded sled off the block in 5.94 seconds for the sixth-best push time of the first heat, and gained a spot on the way to the finish with a downtime of 55.78 seconds. She struggled off the block in the second heat with a 6.03-second start time, and navigated to the finish in 56.06 seconds. Humphries fell back one spot after Nolte’s blistering second heat, and the American finished sixth with a combined time of 1:51.84.

The Igls World Cup continues today with the two-man bobsled competition at 2:30 p.m. local time. Streaming will be available via desktop at olympics.com/en/live/, and via mobile, tablet and connected television platforms on the Olympic Channel app. Check local listings for broadcast times on the Olympic Channel and OlympicChannel.com.

For media inquiries, please contact USABS Marketing and Communications Director Amanda Bird at amanda.bird@usabs.com.

###

Results

1. Elana Meyers Taylor (USA) 1:51.60 (55.51, 56.09);

2. Laura Nolte (GER) 1:51.65 (55.80, 55.85);

3. Breeana Walker (GBR) 1:51.79 (55.67, 56.12);

6. Kaillie Humphries (USA) 1:51.84 (55.78, 56.06);

About USA Bobsled/Skeleton

USA Bobsled/Skeleton (USABS), based in Lake Placid, N.Y., is the national governing body for the sports of bobsled and skeleton in the United States. For more information, please visit the USABS website at www.usabs.com. Individuals interested in becoming a bobsled or skeleton athlete can visit www.usabobsledskeleton.com.