Jan Hetfleisch/Getty Images (bobsled); 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. Gathering her strength, she grabs the handles on the back of the sled. Then she runs as fast as she can while pushing the sled, jumps in, and . . . whoosh! She’s off, flying down the icy track at more than 90 miles per hour.

This action-packed sport is 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 around the world will compete in 15 sports, including figure skating, snowboarding, and skiing.

Meyers Taylor is already a three-time Olympian. She has won two silver medals and a bronze for her skills 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 events making Olympic debuts this year. Others include mixed team 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 sports. As for monobob, only women will take part.

The International Olympic Committee says these sports were added in an effort to give women more opportunities to win Olympic medals. At the 2022 Games, about 45 percent of competitors are expected to be women, more than any other Olympic Games in 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

Meyers Taylor knows it takes hard work and dedication to make it to the Games. She heads to the track two or three times a week for practice runs and sessions with her coaches. Plus, she runs and lifts weights four to six hours a day, to gain 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 overcome her share of challenges and injuries. She arrived at the 2018 Games in a wheelchair because of an injury. Yet she still managed to win a silver medal. She says that was the accomplishment of a lifetime. 

“It’ll be great if I win a gold medal,” Meyers Taylor says. “That’s what I’m going for.” 

But she has known loss too. And, Meyers Taylor says, that’s OK—it’s all part of being an athlete.

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

Fast Facts: China

Sunflowerr/Shutterstock.com

FULL NAME: People’s Republic of China


POPULATION: About 1.4 billion. China has the largest population in the world.


SIZE: 3,696,100 square miles. It is so big that it borders 14 other countries.


CAPITAL: Beijing. More than 20 million people live in the city. That’s more than twice the number of people that live in New York City.


OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: Mandarin Chinese


GOVERNMENT: Communist. In a Communist country, the government tightly controls all businesses and land. The government also severely limits personal freedoms.


IN THE NEWS: Not everyone is happy about China hosting the 2022 Games. For months, human rights groups have urged nations not to send athletes to the Olympics. The Chinese government has been criticized for harshly cracking down on people from certain ethnic groups and trying to silence people who demand more freedoms.

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

  1. What does it mean that Elana 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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