BEIJING – Elana Meyers Taylor, the accomplished American bobsledder who has medaled in the previous three Olympics, stated Tuesday that she tested positive for COVID-19 after landing in Beijing on Jan. 29 and is now staying in an isolated hotel.
Meyers Taylor will require two negative PCR tests 24 hours apart to be released from isolation after receiving the COVID-19 vaccination and a booster dose. Meyers Taylor, fortunately, has some time to heal and participate in the women’s monobob event, which takes place Feb. 13-14, with training runs beginning Feb. 10. The two-woman bobsled event will take place on February 18-19.
Still, the short timing window could put her at a competitive disadvantage. Meyers Taylor said the U.S. Olympic Committee has been able to get a weight plate and some suspension bands to help her do some training while in isolation. But she’ll likely miss the opportunity other bobsledders will have to get on the track before Friday’s opening ceremony.
I believe I am in good shape, thanks to the assistance of coaches in obtaining video “she stated “. I’ve had some nice runs before, so I’m hopeful I’ll be able to bring it all together on this track. Now all I have to do is get out and start executing. I’m going to give it my all, even if I only get one (training) run. I’m still optimistic that I’ll be able to accomplish my goals.”
Kaillie Humphries, Team USA’s other bobsled driver, stated in an Instagram post late Tuesday that she had COVID two weeks ago, which caused her travel to Beijing to be delayed.
Last Monday, Josh Williamson, a brakeman for the United States men’s bobsled team, revealed that he had tested positive for COVID. He did not travel to Beijing with his colleagues, but hoped to heal in time to compete.
The organizers of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics have identified 248 incidents, 51 of which include athletes or team staff. Everyone flying to Beijing, including journalists, athletes, coaches, and team members, must test negative twice before leaving, once at the airport, and once every day within Beijing’s so-called “closed loop” system, which is designed to keep Olympic employees away from the general population.
Before flying to Beijing, all American athletes were required to be completely immunised.
Meyers Taylor, 37, earned silver medals in the two-woman bobsled at the 2014 and 2018 Olympic Games, and she is currently rated No. 1 in the sport following the 2021-22 World Cup events. She’s also the world champion in the women’s monobob, which was included to the Olympic programme for the first time at the 2008 Beijing Games.
Meyers Taylor took a sabbatical from competing following Pyeongchang to focus on her son, Nico, who was born in 2020. Both her kid and husband Nic, a bobsled alternate, have tested positive for COVID-19 but are asymptomatic, she added. Nic is in seclusion as well, while Nico is cared after by her father.
Meyers Taylor’s situation is made even more difficult by the fact that they have not returned to the United States since November 10 because they were concerned that returning would expose them to a higher risk of contracting COVID-19.
Instead, they stayed in Switzerland after the last World Cup race on Jan. 16 in St. Moritz and flew straight to Beijing.
