Elana Myers-Taylor Faces Arbitration Ahead of Winter Olympics

U.S. Olympian Elana Myers-Taylor shared last week that she has been dealing with two arbitration cases concerning the selection of sled brakemen, just ahead of the Milan-Cortina Games.

Myers-Taylor, along with Kylie Humphries and Keisha Rowe, is one of the three women set to compete in the monobob event. This will mark her fifth appearance in the Winter Olympics, where she has previously earned silver medals in 2014, 2018, and 2022, alongside bronze medals in 2010 and 2022. Notably, she secured a silver in the monobob event during the last games.

In her Instagram post, she expressed frustration over the “daunting” nature of the process as the Olympics approach. She stated, “Over the past two weeks, I have been involved in two separate arbitration cases contesting the selection of brakemen for Olympic sledding. While I respect this process and the players’ right to be heard, this process has been daunting.” Myers-Taylor mentioned undergoing scrutiny regarding her driving capability and medal potential, which, frankly, sounds pretty intense.

She further stated, “I hired a lawyer, had to revisit one of the scariest crashes of my career multiple times, all while trying to prepare for the two biggest races of my career. So, from now on, I won’t be commenting or answering questions about my brakeman selection.”

Jadyn O’Brien, who is expected to partner with Myers-Taylor in competition, posted on Instagram just two days before her announcement. O’Brien expressed her eagerness, saying, “Can’t wait to go to work and bring home a medal with @elanameyerstaylor. Very few people know how difficult these last few months have been, but I’m so grateful for my family, my faith, and my boyfriend for getting me this far.”

The bobsled competition is set to kick off on February 15th. It seems there’s a lot of pressure as both athletes prepare for what could be career-defining moments.