Lily Keane ‘24 On Feb. 13, 2022, 29-year-old speed skater Erin Jackson won gold for the USA in the women's 500m race. She is the first U.S. speed skater to win a medal in Beijing and the first U.S. woman to win a 500m speed skating gold medal since Bonnie Blair in 1994. According to Team USA, this makes Erin the very first Black American woman to earn an individual speed skating gold medal at the Winter Olympics.
“I think I cried immediately,” Jackson said after the 500-meter speed skating race. “Just a big release of emotion. A lot of shock, a lot of relief, and a lot of happiness.” Erin began her skating journey on roller skates at the age of 10 in 2002. She was inspired by inliners before her who had transitioned to ice, and started transitioning to speed skating in February of 2016. After only four months on the ice, Jackson was already qualifying for the 2018 winter Olympics. After placing 24th with a time of 39.20 she proceeded to win four of eight World Cup events in the 500 in 2021. When Jackson won at these races, she became the first Black American woman to win a World Cup speed skating race. Erin's coach Ryan Shimabukuro said, “Even though in the beginning it took a while for her to unlearn technique on wheels, she immersed herself in anything and everything that it took to apply her skating knowledge to ice.” Although Jackson has proved herself to be a great skater, she wasn't guaranteed a spot in Beijing. During the Olympic trials, Erin stumbled, costing her the spot. It was Brittany Bowe, a childhood friend and role model of Erin's whose kindness led Jackson to this moment. Bowe finished first in her trials while also qualifying for other events as well. After Erin slipped during the trials, Bowe relinquished her spot almost immediately for Jackson. In an interview that Team USA shared on Twitter Bowe said, “It’s just the spirit of the Olympics, and being a great teammate. It’s bigger than just me—it’s Team USA. Erin has a shot to bring home a medal—hopefully, a gold medal—and it’s my honor to give her that opportunity.” According to Jackson's biography on Team USA, her main motivation is the desire to keep improving and reaching higher levels, both physically and mentally. Based on her achievements it's safe to say that she is doing exactly that. Erin sheared 2.18 seconds off of her previous time in 2018 with a time of 37.04, with Japan’s Miho Takagi 0.08 seconds behind her. On Feb. 16th Erin posted to her feed a video reel of all of her fans congratulating her with the caption, “How does it feel to make History in my sport? It's an honor. It's something I have strived for.” Jackson added, “If I can impact even just one little girl's dream, then that is even better than gold to me. #Beijing2022 #WinterOlympics #TeamUSA”
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