GA Bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor Won't Let COVID Stop Her From Training For Olympics

DOUGLASVILLE, GA — Elana Meyers Taylor, a Douglasville native and bobsledder for Team USA in the 2022 Winter Olympics, tested positive for COVID-19 and won't be able to fulfill her role as a flag bearer for Team USA in the Opening Ceremony on Friday.

Meyers Taylor, a two-time Olympic silver medalist and one-time bronze medalist, tested positive for the virus Jan. 29 — two days after arriving in Beijing, she posted to social media Monday. She said she's asymptomatic and at an isolation hotel.

But she's still training even in the hotel and "remaining optimistic."

"Getting to the Olympics is never easy, and this time, as a new mom, it has been the most challenging, but also incredibly rewarding, to be able to show that it can still be done," Meyers Taylor wrote on Twitter. "This is just the latest obstacle that my family and I have faced on this journey, so I'm remaining optimistic that I'll be able to recover quickly and still have the opportunity to compete."

USA Bobsled and Skeleton remains hopeful that Meyers Taylor will still compete at the Winter Olympics, and there's extra time for Meyers Taylor's recovery given that bobsledding doesn't start until about a week into the Beijing Games, the Associated Press reported.

Meyers Taylor is still set to compete as a pilot in the two-woman bobsled, as well as the inaugural women's monobob event. Official training for women's monobob starts Feb. 10, and competitions begin Feb. 13. Training for the two-woman event starts Feb. 15, with competitions beginning Feb. 18.

Read more: Winter Olympics: Douglasville Native Named To US Bobsled Team

On Wednesday, Meyers Taylor and curler John Shuster were chosen as flagbearers by a vote of fellow Team USA athletes for the Opening Ceremony on Friday. Three-time Olympian Brittany Bowe of Ocala, Florida will walk on behalf of Meyers Taylor.

"Being voted by my peers as the flag bearer is the biggest honor of my career," Meyers Taylor said in a news release. "While I cannot carry the flag and walk in with the rest of Team USA, Brittany is very deserving of the opportunity to lead our delegation on my behalf. She is an incredible person with an exemplary character, and I'm excited to watch her and John lead Team USA at the Opening Ceremony. I'm honored to be a part of this team, and coming from a military family, it's really special to have been chosen to carry our flag."

Despite testing positive for COVID-19 and being in isolation, Meyers Taylor hasn't stopped training. She's been posting videos on Twitter (@eamslider24) showing her jogging inside her hotel room, and she got a stationary bike in the room on Tuesday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Related: FL Speedskater Brittany Bowe To Serve As Olympic Flag Bearer