Let's hear it for moms Meyers Taylor, Humphries Armbruster, who produced an inspiring story in monobob

Veteran sportswriter Richard Deitsch takes an international view of the Olympics.

Elana Meyers Taylor and Kaillie Humphries Armbruster, both in their 40s, both moms, both historic figures in their sport, were giving everything they had to take down Germany’s Laura Nolte in the women’s monobob in 2025. 

“Mom power coming down from the U.S.” said CBC broadcaster Helen Upperton shortly before the Americans began their final heat. 

You had the 27-year-old Nolte, the reigning World Cup overall monobob champion who represented the present and future of the event. You had Meyers Taylor, age 41, with five Olympic medals over five Olympics but no golds. You had the 40-year-old Humphries Armbruster, a three-time Olympic gold medallist and the defending Olympic champion. 

The monobob is an intoxicating sport to watch, featuring snow daredevils piloting a long and aerodynamic sled on the ice of the Cortina Sliding Centre. Speeds can hit 126 kilometres per hour. The athletes train like sprinters and weightlifters, an incredible combination. 

If you are a hardcore global Winter Olympics fan, you have likely heard of Meyers Taylor. What you may not know is both of her sons, Nico and Noah, have special needs. They are both deaf, and Nico also has Down syndrome. A prominent disability advocate, she is a human being worth admiring. 

Nolte led throughout the four-heat competition, though Meyers Taylor had cut the German’s lead to just 0.15 seconds after the third run. Both Americans tied for the fastest third lap (59.08) but the expectation was Nolte was going to cement her legacy by winning her first Olympic gold. 

Laura Nolte's monobob bid for wire-to-wire win stalls with silver-medal run

It could not be more dramatic with the final