World’s top speed skater, Erin Jackson’s gold came after the native of balmy Ocala, Florida, slipped at the U.S. trials and shockingly finished third, putting her spot on the Olympic team in jeopardy.
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But teammate Brittany Bowe, who finished first at the trials, gave up her spot on the team to ensure Jackson would get to skate in Beijing.
Today, Erin Jackson has become the first Black woman to win a speedskating gold medal at the Winter Olympics.
Jackson won the 500 meters with a time of 37.04 seconds, giving the American speedskating program its first speedskating medal of the Beijing Games and first individual medal since 2010.
The 29-year-old, a former inline skater who switched to the ice shortly before the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, joined fellow American Shani Davis as the only Black athlete to win speedskating medals at the Olympics.
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“This is an act I’ll never forget,” she wrote. “You can bet I’ll be the loudest voice in the oval cheering for her in the 1000 and 1500 next month.”
Jackson skated in the next-to-last of 15 pairs with Takagi’s time of 37.12 – set about a half-hour earlier in the fourth pairing – in her sights.
Jackson bolted off the line and was under Takagi’s time as she veered into the first turn. She kept up her speed through the crossing straight and into the final turn, swinging both arms furiously as she came to the finish of speedskating’s shortest race.
As soon as her skates crossed the line, Jackson’s head turned toward the scoreboard.
She broke into a big smile when she saw the “1” beside her name. Her coach, Ryan Shimabukuro, pumped his arms and slapped hands with her as she glided by.
There was still one pairing left, but Jackson knew she could do no worse than bronze.
A few minutes later, the gold was hers.
Jackson sat on the padding along the infield, appearing to shed a few tears with her head bowed.
She was no doubt reflecting, too, on her remarkable journey.
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