Douglasville honors gold medal Olympian Elena Meyers Taylor in homecoming event

DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. — A little less than a month ago, Olympian Elana Meyers Taylor not only won her first gold medal in the women’s Monobob competition at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, but she also won gold in the hearts of her community in her hometown of Douglasville, Georgia. 

To show their support for Meyers Taylor, on Mar. 21, the city of Douglasville hosted a party to celebrate her returning home as a gold medal champion and the most decorated Black woman in the history of the Winter Olympics.

“I appreciate the support. It’s been a great homecoming so far,” Taylor said. “I’m really excited to come back home to Douglasville and celebrate with everybody.”

Meyers Taylor’s legacy is not only an inspiration to other women athletes, but also to girls in her hometown.

“It’s just really cool to see someone grow up from the same place that you did, achieve all of that stuff, and it just shows that, like, anyone can do anything.” Douglasville resident and Meyers Taylor fan Aubrey Bertocchi said. “Like, you live in Georgia, it’s hot outside, but you’re a professional bobsledder.”

“She motivates me to tell me that I could accomplish anything that I put my mind to if I just do it,” student and Meyers Taylor supporter Lanae Ford said.

And while Meyers Taylor may be the motivation to those around the world, hers comes from under her own roof, her kids, Niko and Noah.

“I just wanted to show them that you could overcome obstacles, that no matter what life throws at you, that you could battle through it and succeed,” Meyers Taylor said. “Even if you don’t succeed, you could fail and get back up.”