Elana Meyers Taylor, one of America’s most decorated bobsledders and a gold medal hopeful, tested positive for COVID-19 days before the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Meyers Taylor, 37, announced on Tuesday that she tested positive for the virus after arriving in China.
“I feel great. I feel like I could go out and train,” Meyers Taylor said. “That’s the most frustrating thing.”
The athlete is fully vaccinated and boosted, but she will be required to submit two negative PCR 24 hours apart to be cleared from her isolation hotel, according to a report.
COVID-19 INFECTIONS REPORTED AMONG OLYMPIANS AHEAD OF GAMES
“After arriving to Beijing on January 27, on January 29 I tested positive for Covid-19. I am asymptomatic and currently at an isolation hotel- and yes I am completely isolated,” she tweeted. “Getting to the Olympics is never easy, and this time, as a new mom, it has been the most challenging.”
After arriving to Beijing on January 27, on January 29 I tested positive for Covid-19. I am asymptomatic and currently at an isolation hotel- and yes I am completely isolated. Getting to the Olympics is never easy, and this time, as a new mom, it has been the most challenging,
— Elana Meyers Taylor OLY (@eamslider24) February 1, 2022
Meyers Taylor, who is a four-time world champion and has won medals in the 2010, 2014, and 2018 Olympics, is slated to compete in the women’s monobob event from Feb. 13-14 and the two-woman bobsled event from Feb. 18-19.
Training runs begin Feb. 10, and the short time window might put Meyers Taylor at a disadvantage.
The athlete has been given a weight plate and suspension bands to train in isolation.
“It definitely sucks on this track. With coaches helping me get video, I think I’m in good shape,” she said.
“I was here in October. I had some good runs, so I’m confident I can put it together on this track. Now I just have to get out and go execute. Even if I only get one [training] run, I’m going to give it everything. I’m still confident I can make good things happen.”
At least 248 cases of COVID-19 have been connected to the Olympics, Beijing 2022 organizers said.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Roughly 51 of those confirmed cases have involved athletes or team officials, according to the report.
