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Six-time Olympic medalist and Douglasville native Elana Meyers Taylor received a hero’s welcome Saturday during a special homecoming celebration at the Douglasville Town Green, where Board of Education leaders, administrators and students from the Douglas County School System honored the decorated bobsledder who won gold in the monobob at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
The Lithia Springs High drum line and cheerleaders gave Meyers Taylor a grand entrance to the event, performing along the path leading to the stage, and New Manchester High FAME student Logan Guiles sang the national anthem.
Board of Education Chair Glenn Easterwood and Vice Chair Michelle Simmons congratulated and thanked Meyers Taylor for being a role model.
Easterwood told those at the ceremony that a school system is judged by the caliber of students
it produces.
"I ain't trying to brag or nothing, but we're pumping out gold medalists up in here," he said to loud applause. "More so than being a tremendous athlete, our young elementary school girls, our middle school girls, our high school girls can look at someone that is a world-class athlete, that is a world-class human being, a world-class mother — an example, a role model in all aspects. And we really appreciate you."
Arbor Station Elementary, Chestnut Log Middle and Lithia Springs High — schools Meyers Taylor attended — all made special presentations and gave her gifts.
"For opening the doors of opportunities for every student and showing us what it means to be a champion, The Station is forever proud of your journey," Arbor Station Student Council President LaNae Ford told Meyers Taylor.
Student Council Vice President Jojo Walker presented Meyers Taylor with a ceremonial key to
Arbor Station Elementary, as fellow student council members and Principal Dr. Emily Felton looked on. Bailey Thompson, Arbor Station's student council public relations director, presented Meyers Taylor with a gift for her young sons, adding: "You always use hashtag #MomStrong because you are an advocate for mothers in professional sports."
Chestnut Log Principal Daryl Holman noted that Meyers Taylor played softball at his school and presented her with a framed Lady Bears jersey. Holman told the hundreds gathered for the ceremony that only 1 in 1.1 million people in the world can say they are a gold medalist like Meyers Taylor.
Lithia Springs High Principal Felicia Jones and Assistant Principals Mikey Jones and Chandra Peyton noted that Meyers Taylor also played softball at Lithia Springs High before presenting her with a Legacy and Greatness award, a framed collage of photos and a commemorative brick from the school.
"You have carried the pride of this school, Lithia Springs High School, this community, the 
Douglas County School System and the game of softball to the highest level, proving that greatness is not given, but earned through grit, resilience and heart," Jones said. "May your legacy forever inspire those who step onto the field to dream bigger, work harder and believe that anything is possible."
Meyers Taylor thanked her hometown and reflected on her journey to becoming the most decorated Black Winter Olympian in history.
"I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart,” she said. “If my journey has shown anything, it is that perseverance matters — if you have a goal, you have something you want to achieve, keep working for it. And it doesn't matter how many times you fall. It matters how many times you stand back up. So keep fighting for your dreams. Do everything you can to get there, and good things will happen."
