The United States’ most decorated bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor said she hopes to return to competition next year after a dazzling Beijing Games that many thought would be her swansong.

Meyers Taylor, who turned 38 on Monday, produced one of the most impressive feats of the 2022 Games with her fourth and fifth medals – silver in monobob and bronze in two-woman – after overcoming COVID-19, which she tested positive for on arrival. It was the latest challenge she had to overcome in a 15-year career, including a crash at the 2019 world championships. But the lion-hearted Meyers Taylor, who is taking time off as she is pregnant with her second child, is ready for more next year.

“I will go back to competing afterwards,” Meyers Taylor told Reuters. “I still love competing. I still love bobsledding. And I still want to do it until my legs fall off but, end of the day, I’ve got to consider what’s best for my children … whether or not that is still travelling around Europe.” A fierce advocate of racial justice, disability inclusion and women in sport, Meyers Taylor is collecting the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Wilma Rudolph Courage Award this week at the nonprofit organisation’s annual gala, months after she carried the Stars and Stripes at the Beijing closing ceremony.

“I don’t even know if I’ve even begun to reflect on my athletic career and my advocacy,” she said. “I just try to do whatever I can to make the world a better place.” Meyers Taylor was elected to the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) board of directors in August, where she hopes to advocate not only for gender equality in sport but also getting Paralympians equal representation.

Asked if she would take on a role in the United States’ bid to bring the Winter Games to Salt Lake City in 2030, Meyers Taylor chuckled and said: “The problem is in 2030, I think I could still probably be competitive.”

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