Olympian bobsledding and a separate photo of her

Jan Hetfleisch/Getty Images (bobsledding); Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Team USA (Elana Meyers Taylor)

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Game On!

Athletes from around the world are getting ready for a frigid face-off at the Winter Olympics.

Digital-only Bonus Article! Click here to read the full interview with Elana Meyers Taylor.

Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Team USA

Elana Meyers Taylor

Elana Meyers Taylor steps up to her bobsled. She gathers her strength and grabs the handles on the back of the sled. Then she runs as fast as she can while pushing the sled on the icy track. At just the right moment, she jumps in and . . . whoosh! She’s off, zipping down the track at about 75 miles per hour. The ride ends after she crosses the finish line less than a minute later.

Welcome to the action-packed sport called monobob. The one-person bobsled event is set to make its Olympic debut at the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing, China. From February 4 to 20, athletes from more than 80 countries will compete in 15 sports, including ice hockey, figure skating, snowboarding, and downhill skiing.

Meyers Taylor is already a three-time Olympian. She has won two silver medals and a bronze in the two-woman bobsled event. Now she’s hoping to add a gold to her collection. As Scholastic News went to press, Meyers Taylor was competing in the bobsledding World Cup to qualify for a spot on the 2022 U.S. Olympic team. 

“The Olympics represent the highest level of competition,” says Meyers Taylor. “Seeing how united the whole world can be for a few weeks is the coolest thing.”

Making Changes

Monobob is one of seven new Olympic events this year. Others include mixed-team events in ski jumping, short-track speed skating relay, and snowboard cross. For the first time, men and women will compete on the same team in these events. As for monobob, only women will take part.

The International Olympic Committee added these events to give women more opportunities to win medals. At the 2022 Games, about 45 percent of competitors will be women—the highest percentage in Winter Olympics history.

Taka G Wu/Alamy Live News

This year, men’s and women’s freestyle big air skiing will be an Olympic event for the first time.

Work Hard, Win Big

Jim McMahon/Mapman®

Like other Olympic hopefuls, Meyers Taylor knows it takes hard work and dedication to reach the Games. She heads to the track two or three times a week for practice runs and sessions with her coaches. She also runs and lifts weights four to six hours a day to build speed and strength. 

“Our sleds weigh more than 370 pounds, and we have to move them very quickly,” she explains. 

In her 15 years as a bobsledder, Meyers Taylor has had to overcome a number of challenges. She arrived at the 2018 Games in a wheelchair because of a foot injury. Still, she fought through the pain to win a silver medal. She says that was the accomplishment of a lifetime. 

Meyers Taylor is focused on getting her first gold in Beijing. But, she says, no matter what her results are, all her hard work will be worth it. 

“It’s not about winning or losing—it’s about stepping to the start line and giving it everything I’ve got.”

Fast Facts: China

Sunflowerr/Shutterstock.com

FULL NAME: People’s Republic of China


POPULATION: About 1.4 billion. China has the largest population of any country. It has more than four times as many people as the United States. 


SIZE: 3,696,100 square miles. Only Russia and Canada are bigger. China is so big that it borders 14 other countries.


OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: Mandarin Chinese


GOVERNMENT: Communist. In a Communist country, the government tightly controls all businesses and land and severely limits the freedoms of its citizens.


IN THE NEWS: Not everyone is excited about China hosting the 2022 Olympics. For months, human rights groups have urged nations not to send athletes to the Games. The Chinese government has been criticized for its harsh treatment of the Uighur (WEE-guhr) people, an ethnic group in northwestern China. Also, government forces have cracked down on people in the city of Hong Kong who have demanded a more democratic system. 

Last month, the U.S., Canada, and several other countries announced a diplomatic boycott of the Games. That means that no government officials from these countries will attend the Olympics. Athletes from these nations are still expected to compete, however. 

1. What does it mean that Meyers Taylor is “hoping to add a gold to her collection”?

2. Summarize the key ideas in the section “Making Changes.”

3. According to the sidebar, why are some people unhappy that China is hosting the 2022 Games?

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