Elana Meyers Taylor: A 20-year journey to gold

0:00Elana Meyers Taylor:This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK.

0:30Elana Meyers Taylor:Make your travel dollars work harder. Follow Smart Travel on your favorite podcast app. Investing with Schwab is like spending a Saturday at a great farmer's market. You can fill your reusable tote with a bit of everything. Maybe you go for some free-range self-directed investing, or perhaps you pick up a few farm-fresh trades while you peruse. You can even get help from a dedicated advisor. That's full-service wealth management. Mix, match, and change your mind whenever you want. Because at Schwab, you can invest your way. No matter your goals or appetite for investing, Schwab has everything you need all in one place.

1:03Elana Meyers Taylor:Visit schwab.com to learn more.

1:28Elana Meyers Taylor:year old American triumphed in the women's monobob, a single-person bobsleigh event, at her fifth Olympic Games, having never previously reached the top step of the podium. She's also the most decorated black athlete in the history of the Winter Games, winning six medals across her career. But she's more than just an outstanding athlete. She's a mother of two sons, both of whom are deaf. Her eldest son, five-year-old Nico, also has Down syndrome. One of the most emotional images of the Games, saw her celebrate with her sons at the finishing line, using sign language to explain what had just happened.

2:03Elana Meyers Taylor:She's also been an outspoken advocate for black athletes, women and mothers in winter sport throughout her career. I spoke to Alana for more than the score earlier this month about her 20-year journey to Olympic gold and started by asking her whether her achievement had sunk in yet no I had this conversation with my husband the other day like

2:25Lee James:it still feels like I'm in some kind of fever dream or something like it still doesn't make sense that this actually happened and everything that's happened since even makes less sense so you know we've been on quite a little bit of a tour going around and sharing my story and sharing the medal and everything like that and yeah everything that happens makes even less sense

2:44Elana Meyers Taylor:now so so you're showing your medal let me ask you first of all it's around your neck right now what does that mean when you look at that olympic gold medal oh my gosh uh it means

2:55Lee James:so like it stands for so much hard work but not just by me but by my family by my kids by my nanny by my friends my everybody like it took so much to get this like it's just incredible to actually have it and actually have done it like it's just as unbelievable um you know it's 20 years in the making going for it and trying and not succeeding in the gold medal stance you know getting other medals but um it just symbolizes so much and so much not just for me but everyone around me

3:26Elana Meyers Taylor:yeah we saw your two boys nico and noah after you just won the gold in fact when you found out that was an incredibly emotional moment and i i imagine alana to have your friends and your family your children around you at that time must have been very special oh it was super special and i'm not

3:43Lee James:quite sure how it happened i don't know that i want to know because usually people aren't really allowed on that dock uh but i'm super glad the kids and and my nanny at least was able to be up there and share that moment because you know they're the ones who sacrificed so much to help me get there they sacrificed everything to help me be at that sport and and that's why i came back to bobsled is like they're my reason um i came back because i wanted to show them that even if the world tells you you can't do something that you can that you can go after your goals and you could pursue them so to have them there at that moment and to be able to explain to them what was going on and share that with them like it was really special and also I'll have that like at the time they didn't really know what was going on I was trying to sign to them explain but I'll have that memory to share with them for the rest of their lives and for the rest of my life and be able to tell them exactly what happened and show them video now absolutely yes Nico and Noah

4:34Elana Meyers Taylor:are both deaf. Nico has Down syndrome as well. And you use signs and you'd explain then what that moment was like then. And the deaf community prepared you as well for that and helped you along with the signs that you would need.

4:46Lee James:Yeah. So actually I had reached out to one of the women I work with, Stacey, in Gallaudet University, and she had actually showed me all the bobsled signs. We actually made a video in it. And I was working with them and trying to show them the signs and everything we would need to know. And I never knew if we'd actually get to use it, But to actually be able to use, you know, the sign champion was pretty cool. And the gold medal was actually pretty cool. So I was super excited to use them and super excited that we had actually got over them.

5:14Elana Meyers Taylor:Absolutely. And that support that you've obviously got from the US team, from your friends, from your family to make all this possible, to go through those day to day challenges that we all experience when raising children. But to do that whilst traveling, to compete and to maintain an elite career.

5:30Lee James:Yeah, it's been a whirlwind. And there was definitely times where I thought it was impossible, but the team around me lifted me up. I mean, there was one day, one night in Norway where the kids weren't sleeping and like, I was so tired and like, it's just, you know, one of them got sick and I was just like, had it up to there. And I was just like, this is impossible. We need to just pack it up and go home. And the whole time my husband's reassuring me. He's like, no, you're okay. We got this. You're okay. We're going to figure this out. You're okay. and then the next thing you know he hops on a flight to Norway for me and comes out and even like a couple days with the kids and help out and everything like it was just incredible to have him there and to know how much support I had that in a moment's notice that he had to hop on a flight from anywhere in the world to come join me.

6:15Elana Meyers Taylor:Well you're the first mother to win Olympic bobsleigh gold you hope it will encourage more mothers to continue in the sport to prove that it can be done to show you don't have to stop living your dreams?

6:25Lee James:I did not even think about that stuff but that's pretty cool um yeah i think even when i had my first son and i was successful after beijing and had the two medals in beijing i think it already encouraged mothers that they were still possible you know um i hope this continues to show that that you can continue to compete later in life too as a 41 year old but also as a mother of two so i hope it encourages more women to continue sport after they've had children or after they started a family if they want to but also there's some real barriers that exist like so i was on the road with my kids from november 1st all the way through the games so it's not cheap like it's very expensive um and that's all self-funded by myself um so those kind of barriers still exist like finding a nanny and doing all those things it's still extremely difficult but hopefully the more and more women that have done it the more and more barriers that are um let go and the more and more possible it actually becomes.

7:23Elana Meyers Taylor:Did motherhood, Alana, ever change your approach to the sport? You are competing in a sport that can have significant consequences if something were to go wrong. You've had to battle through injuries, the pain, concussion you've suffered. Did it ever change your approach when she became a mother?

7:39Lee James:It changed my approach in that my perspective has changed. So the most important thing isn't now whether I win or lose a bobsledder race, it's making sure the kids are taken care of, making sure they're happy, healthy, and everything's okay. And from a mental perspective, like I'm definitely less risk averse or more risk averse. Yeah, more risk averse than I used to be because I just need to make sure the kids are taken care of. And I learned that the best way I can take care of them is making sure I'm taking care of myself. So whether it's making sure my nutrition is on point, making sure everything is on point.

8:13Lee James:So when I get in the sled, I can be safe as well. Whereas before, you know, it's like you don't think about as much as especially like as a 20 year old, Like you're 20 years old or something happens, you take a nap and you'll feel better. As a 41 year old, like I know I've got to be as sharp as possible to get in the sled to not only keep myself mentally fit, but also physically fit. Because if I have a little injury, like this season, I've been battling with a back injury all season long. And what that resulted in is I'm like not physically able to pick up my kids, which is a problem because they need a lot of care, especially my older one with Down syndrome.

8:47Lee James:Like I need to be able to pick him up, to move him, to change diapers, all this kind of stuff. So it's definitely changed how I approach the sport because I've just got to take care of myself that much more because I'm responsible for the lives of two humans.

8:59Elana Meyers Taylor:And given the challenges that they will have to overcome during their lives, is it important as well to show your sons what is possible when people perhaps tell you no to show that you can make things happen?

9:11Lee James:Oh, without a doubt, especially because they are going to face challenges that I know nothing about. like I'm a non-disabled elite athlete like of course I've had my own challenges but I don't have hearing loss I don't have down syndrome so I'm not going to be able to even fully understand the challenges they're going to face or have already faced like for them even at a young age trying to figure out how to use sign language or how to use cochlear implants or all these different things they've already overcome like it's it's just been incredible so yes I definitely want to show them that you can go after your dreams and more importantly like yes winning gold medal is great but i wanted to show them that you have the power to get knocked down but stand back up and that's what i've done the entire time like this season was terrible like i finished 19th in the test event uh for the for the race in in cortina and so to come back from that and to struggle through the entire season and to finally result in a gold medal after all this time at the most improbable times.

10:09Lee James:Like, I definitely want to see the highs, but also the lows as well.

10:13Elana Meyers Taylor:And your gold medal resonates, Alana, far beyond the sliding tracks, as you've discussed there as a mother raising children with disabilities, particularly within the death and Down syndrome communities as the most decorated black athlete in Winter Olympic history, where athletes from diverse backgrounds have historically been underrepresented. You say you've taken your gold medal around and shown people. What has been the response to you then from the people you've met towards it?

10:40Lee James:Oh, it's been incredible. You know, even coming home when we were at the airport and a woman runs up to me screaming and just gives me the biggest hug. And she's so excited because the medal meant so much to her. You know, I'm not sure what her backstory was, but to have that kind of reaction and meet people and then start crying and tearing up and stuff like that. Like, it's been incredible. I didn't like even some of those moments that meant the most to people like me sitting there with my kids and signing and and all this stuff. Like it was just generally in that moment is generally parent moment.

11:11Lee James:Like I just wanted to tell them that their mom was OK, that we had done this really cool thing or like just some of the stuff that people have told me and that they've been encouraged to do, whether it's go back to school or take on a new job, especially the parents of kids with disabilities. Like they've told me all these stories and it's just been jaw dropping. Like I couldn't imagine like I was able to inspire people to do those types of things. So it's been really cool. The reception has been really great. And I'm excited for the rest of the reception. Like we haven't even we're just scratching the surface.

11:39Lee James:We haven't even got started for all this stuff we have planned the next couple of months.

11:45Elana Meyers Taylor:So you're running out of closet space. The good news, you don't need to stop shopping. You just need to start selling with The RealReal. The RealReal is the world's largest and most trusted resource for authenticated luxury resale. Whether it's that mini bag that can't even fit your phone, or those boots you never fully broke in, The RealReal handles everything, from photography and copywriting, to shipping and pricing. So you can just sit back, get paid, and make room for things that actually feel like you. And with 10 ,000-plus new arrivals every single day from top designers like Prada, Celine, Louis Vuitton, and Loewe, all for up to 90 % off retail, You're bound to find something perfectly on brand to fill that extra closet space with.

12:27Elana Meyers Taylor:Plus, right now, you can get an extra$100 to shop when you sell for the first time. Make room for what feels like you. Go to therealreal.com to start selling and get your extra$100 to keep shopping at therealreal.com. That's therealreal.com. Terms apply. I'm here on the job site with Dale, who's a framing contractor. Hey, good morning. They all traded up to Geico Commercial Auto Insurance for all his business vehicles. We're here where he needs us most. Yep, they sure are. We make it easy for him to save on all his insurance needs, all in one place, with coverage that fits his business and bottom line.

13:02Elana Meyers Taylor:Oh, I shouldn't have looked down. It's all right. We're so far up here. Look at me. Take a deep breath. No, I'm good. So good. Get a commercial auto insurance quote today at geico.com and see how much you could save. It feels good to Geico. Momentum doesn't appear overnight. It's built, refined. Repeated. Puerto Rico understands momentum. As companies rethink supply chains and reshore operations, they're choosing a location that already delivers life-saving medicines, advanced manufacturing, and global-scale innovation. As a U.S. jurisdiction operating under federal law, with competitive tax incentives designed for long-term investment, companies don't just relocate here, they scale here.

13:43Elana Meyers Taylor:Not culture or business, culture and business. Puerto Rico. It's not what's next, it's where. Visit investpr.org forward slash business. You're listening to the documentary podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Lee James, and this is a bonus episode of More Than The Score, where I'm talking to the American bobsleigh pilot, Alana Myers-Taylor, about her 20-year journey to the top of the Olympic podium. You've always used your platform, Alana, as well. In 2020, you wrote about racial inequality, social injustice. You've spoken about your own experiences of racism during your life, whether that was in softball being told that black people don't play shortstop.

14:27Elana Meyers Taylor:You belong in the outfield or in bobsleigh, sled manufacturers not wanting to sell to black pilots. You said no amount of Olympic medals or at least the ones I've won thus far can save you from experiencing racism. How do you reflect on that on that now, six years on from what you wrote?

14:44Lee James:it's kind of crazy because in that case with sled manufacturers and things like that like that hasn't changed like it still stands true but i think the positive things that we've seen is there is more diversity in the sport and i'm not just talking about black and white i am a person who just wants to see the best people in the world be able to have opportunities to compete whatever they look like whatever background they come from where whatever um so it's been really encouraging to see a lot of different people get in the sport because you know it's truly representative of the best in the world.

15:16Lee James:If we're just focusing on one demographic, like we're only getting a subset of the world so we're not getting a full representation of what the sport could be. So I've been really encouraged to see the diversity grow, not just in the US, but across the world. Like now we're seeing teams who look more like the world population. And that's been really awesome to see. And I hope that continues to grow because I think it just makes our sport that much better And it makes it more entertaining when you have different people, people who look like you that you could root for.

15:44Elana Meyers Taylor:Yeah, you've shown that you might look different or come from a different background, but you can still achieve great things in winter sport. You want obviously that to be open to everyone. Does it feel like the Winter Olympics is more welcoming now than for black athletes?

15:57Lee James:It definitely does feel like it's more welcome. But I think we still have significant barriers to overcome in terms of the finances of it, in terms of the accessibility of it. Like not everybody lives near a mountain to be able to learn how to ski or go bobsledding or something like that. I mean, in Great Britain, they don't have a track and those types of things. So it's still very inaccessible. And then the finances to make it accessible are still astronomical. So we still need to do more work on that. And I think bobsled itself has done a lot to try and make it more accessible, like within the model bobsled.

16:29Lee James:Now that's a sled that is relatively inexpensive compared to the other disciplines. And also everybody has the same type of sled. So it's a more of an even playing field and those types of things. So it's definitely come a long way, but we still have a long way to go. I mean, even what I've been told now, I took my son in Norway skiing and it was like$100 total, like for passes for us, ski equipment, an instructor, all this kind of stuff versus what I've been told. And I haven't tried it in the U.S. Is ski passes are like over just one lift pass is over$300 once, which is this incredible incredible and like there's not that many people who could afford that like I couldn't afford that for my family of four like it's twelve hundred dollars just for lift passes and that's without any equipment so we still need to come a long way in terms of accessibility but I think we're starting to get there and people recognize that it's a problem.

17:23Elana Meyers Taylor:And what do you think in particular yourself as a black athlete winning an Olympic gold medal in a winter sport can do because you tackled in 2020 and you've spoken before about the prejudice that you've personally received can that help in any way to show what you have achieved and hopefully that won't be around in

17:42Lee James:the sport oh without a doubt and i also think um more and more people of diverse backgrounds getting into higher powers within the sport i mean you have nicola minicello who was a world champion now she's starting to work up the ranks and you have more and more women working up the ranks within the sport of bobsled, whether it's on the IBSF or whether it's in their own national federations, I think it's great. And they're able to not only be those positions, be those diverse positions in those different roles, but also recruit and make sure the sport's more accessible in every level. And that's what I intend to do as well.

18:19Lee James:For me, it starts with the very basics of recruiting and making sure the athletes we come in are the best that we can possibly find and not worrying about where they come from or what they look like so it starts the very basic level getting the talent within the sport and then growing it from there so hopefully we're able to do some more and more of that and they're also able to increase the amount of population the diverse population that's