Bobsled History: Elana Meyers Taylor to Compete in Four-Man Event

(Photo: Elana Meyers Taylor of Douglasville. Credit: USA Bobsled & Skelton/Neil Zeller Photography)

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Douglasville Olympian Elana Meyers Taylor is getting used to this “making history” thing.

Meyers Taylor, already a two-time Olympic medalist in women’s bobsled, and Canadian Kaillie Humphries will be the first women to compete in the four-man bobsled in a World Cup event this weekend in Calgary, Canada.

Both will pilot sleds on the same track used during the 1988 Calvary Olympics, perhaps changing some attitudes in the male-dominated sport.

Meyers Taylor told the Guardian she’s received lots of support but added, “I’m pretty sure there are still some people who don’t want to see this happening. But it’s happening.”

USA Bobsled & Skelton CEO Darrin Steele said in a press release that the time has come.

“It’s not everyday you witness history being made in a sport as old as bobsled, but we will be doing just that on Saturday in the four-man,” USA Bobsled & Skelton CEO Darrin Steele said. “This is really important for women’s bobsled because it shatters all the myths about why women don’t have their own four-woman discipline. After this weekend the only reason that will remain will be a lack of female competitors outside of North America. It’s a call to action that Kaillie and Elana are sending loud and clear.”

Meyers Taylor shared the news on her Facebook page, saying:

Excited for the opportunity and excited to represent all the great women bobsledders who came before me but didn’t have this opportunity but who deserved it.

The door was opened for women to compete in four-man when the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation declared the event to be gender neutral six weeks ago. Meyers Taylor will compete in the women’s bobsled and four-person races about an hour apart on Saturday.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to race twice this weekend, even though it’s going to be a challenge with two races back to back. But hey, maybe this will just show even more how resilient and tough women bobsledders are,” Meyers Taylor said in the USA Bobsled & Skelton press release. “Right now my main focus is putting together solid pushes and consistent runs. My crew and I worked very hard to get here and our focus is on competing as well as we can. Of course it’s a historic moment and I’m proud to be a part of it, but my focus right now is on the competition.”

According to USA Bobsled & Skelton:

This isn’t the first time Meyers Taylor and Humphries have made headlines as history-makers in the sport. The U.S. is the only nation to medal in every women’s bobsled Olympic event since the discipline made its debut at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. Meyers Taylor contributed two medals to the count, including a bronze medal as a push athlete for Erin Pac in the 2010 Vancouver Games and a silver medal in the 2014 Sochi Games as a pilot. Humphries is the two-time Olympic champion from 2010 and 2014. Meyers Taylor and Humphries train alongside one another during the offseason and lobbied for the chance to race with the men in the four-man event with the hopes of eventually having their own four-woman discipline.

Meyers Taylor and Humphries both finished third in their respective team selection races to earn their position in the driver’s seat of their nation’s third ranked four-person bobsleds. Before Meyers Taylor and Humphries were qualified to race on the elite World Cup circuit they had to fulfill the international federation’s requirement to compete in five races held on a minimum of three tracks within two seasons. Both pilots raced in the Park City, Utah and Calgary North American Cups and the La Plagne, France European Cup prior to the World Cup opener last weekend to meet eligibility. Meyers Taylor and Humphries elected to make their four-person debut in Calgary instead of in last weekend’s Lake Placid, N.Y. race due to the tight turnaround after La Plagne’s race.

Women’s bobsled racing begins 1 p.m. ET Saturday, the four-person racing begins at 4 p.m. Check www.usabs.com for updates and to find TV coverage on Universal Sports, visit universalsports.com.