Bobsleigh-After beating COVID and winning monobob silver, US Meyers Taylor prepares for likely last race of career

YANQING, China : Elana Meyers Taylor has overcome many challenges in the 15-year bobsleigh career, but for the 37-year-old mother of a toddler to have overcome COVID-19 and win a silver Olympic medal for the U.S. has to be among the most impressive feats this Games.

Meyers Taylor was ecstatic as she won her fourth Olympic medal under clear-blue skies and surrounded by thick snow at the 'Flying Snow Dragon' track in Yanqing on Monday, with cheers for her among the loudest the venue has heard.

"I wanted to cry, I wanted to scream, I wanted to laugh. All the emotions just came out," she told reporters after the race.

She was supposed to carry the U.S. flag in the opening ceremony nearly two weeks ago, but she tested positive for COVID upon arrival in Beijing and with her husband and son Nico was placed into isolation until getting the all-clear on Feb. 9.

"Two days ago, I said to my coach Brian Shimer, I sat on one of the containers and said, 'I don't even know if I should do this right now'.

"I was really questioning whether I should come out. Thanks to my team. Thanks to everybody. They lifted me up and they lifted me up to silver medal."

Meyers Taylor says she takes inspiration from her son Nico, for whom she took the 2019/20 World Cup season off, who was diagnosed with Down syndrome, as well as profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss.

"He's with me in and out of the sled all the time, he's my heart and he's part of the reason I was motivated to come back to bobsled," she said.

With her fourth medal she becomes the most-decorated U.S. bobsledder and is tied with her gold-winning team mate Kaillie Humphries for most overall, but three of Humphries' were for Canada.

That takes her head of her mentor and friend Steve