BEIJING (AP) — U.S. bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor said Saturday she was about to leave isolation and could start preparing in earnest to compete at the Beijing Olympics.
Meyers Taylor said on NBC’s “Weekend TODAY” that she wouldn’t be in isolation much longer.
“I’ll be leaving tonight, which is the morning for you guys, and headed to another hotel, so I can start the process of getting back into training and getting everything ready to race,” she said.
Meyers Taylor revealed Tuesday she had tested positive for COVID-19. She had to give up her spot as a flagbearer at the opening ceremony, but bobsled doesn’t begin until about a week into the Olympics. Women’s monobob official training begins Feb. 10, with competition beginning Feb. 13. Training for the two-woman event starts Feb. 15, with competition beginning Feb. 18.
So Meyers Taylor always had a chance to come back and compete. She posted a video on Twitter on Saturday, showing her lifting a huge barbell in what she called an “isolation hotel workout.”
“Fortunately I have a lot of friends internationally,” she said during her TV appearance. “They’ve been sending me notes on the track and doing different things like that. I also have tons of video from our coaches, who have just been doing everything they can to keep me engaged and keep me involved. So I’ve just been going over that as much as I can, watching video and doing whatever I can to stay ready.”
Meyers Taylor is the only woman to win three Olympic bobsled medals for the U.S.