Olympic Gold Medalist Visits Georgia Pre-K with Medals

When Olympic champion Elana Meyers Taylor walked into a Henry County prekindergarten classroom wearing her gold medal, she wasn't just visiting a school. She was returning home to Georgia to spark dreams in the next generation.

The Douglasville native stopped by Mt. Carmel Elementary School in Hampton with all three of her latest Olympic medals. Pre-K students passed around her silver and bronze medals while asking questions about bobsledding, with many surprised at how heavy the hardware felt in their small hands.

Meyers Taylor is one of the most decorated Winter Olympians in U.S. history with six Olympic medals. She won her first gold earlier this year in the women's monobob event in Italy, becoming the oldest gold medalist in the event's history at the same time.

The students fired off questions about speed, equipment, and what Olympians eat. When Meyers Taylor explained that bobsleds reach speeds between 75 and 100 mph, she added with a smile that it's faster than legal highway driving. She told them competition meals are simple: chicken, vegetables, and rice for the best fuel.

The visit had special meaning for the champion. Her niece and nephew attend Mt. Carmel Elementary, and her 3-year-old son Noah joined her for the school visit.

Why This Inspires

Meyers Taylor told students that sharing her medals with young people is one of the most rewarding parts of competing. "If I can encourage them in any way to go after sport and go after their dreams, then I'm going to do it," she explained.

Her own Olympic dream started right here in Georgia. The 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta lit a fire in young Elana that never went out. She tried softball first before her parents saw bobsledding on television and suggested she give it a try.

Training wasn't easy from the South. With no bobsled facilities nearby, she now trains in New York, Utah, and Europe during fall and winter months.

Meyers Taylor also drew national attention this year when she signed "Mommy won" in American Sign Language after her gold medal victory. Both her sons, Noah and 6-year-old Nico, are deaf.

She wore the same orange sneakers from her medal ceremony in Italy while signing photos for students and staff. Student Kyndal Wright summed up the excitement: "She went so fast."

From a Georgia girl watching the Atlanta Olympics to a champion inspiring Georgia's youngest students, Meyers Taylor proves that Olympic dreams can start anywhere.