Elana Meyers Taylor Will Be U.S. Closing Ceremony Flagbearer After COVID Kept Her from Opening

Photo: Tom Pennington/Getty/Team USA

After having to miss the Opening Ceremony due to COVID-19, Elana Meyers Taylor is getting another chance to be Team USA’s flagbearer.

The bobsled champion — who won a silver medal in the women’s monobob — said in a statement that she “was so honored to be named the Opening Ceremony flag bearer, but after not being able to carry the flag, it’s even more humbling to lead the United States at the Closing Ceremony.”

Meyers Taylor tested positive for COVID on Jan. 29, two days after arriving in China. She had to test negative twice, 24 hours apart, to be allowed to compete in her events, which included the two-woman bobsleigh and inaugural women’s monobob.

The athlete was quarantined away from her entire team as well as her husband Nic Taylor (an alternate for the men’s bobsled team) and their son Nico, who turns 2 this month and traveled to Beijing with her under exceptions for breastfeeding mothers.

Adam Pretty/Getty Images

She was eventually wascleared to competeafter giving required negative COVID-19 tests.

Meyers Taylor was elected as one of Team USA’s flagbearers at the Opening Ceremony, alongside curler John Shuster. However, when she was unable to attend, speed skater Brittany Bowe, the first runner-up in the flagbearer election, was tapped as a replacement.

To learn more about Team USA, visitTeamUSA.org. Watch the Winter Olympics, now, and the Paralympics, beginning March 4, on NBC.

source: people.com