The 29-year-old Floridian finished her lap in a mere 37.04 seconds, earning Team USA’s first gold in the women’s 500-meter speed skating race in decades. She became the first Black woman to win Team USA a gold medal in speed skating Sunday.
Erin Jackson earned her first Olympic medal in the women’s 500- meter speed skating race at the Beijing Games, an event Team USA has not won since 1994. Jackson finished her lap in a mere 37.04 seconds.
Speedskater Erin Jackson (USA) holds the American flag after winning the women’s 500 meters.
MICHAEL MADRID, USA TODAY SPORTS
Despite being ranked No. 1 in the world, Jackson’s return to the Olympics was not guaranteed. She stumbled during the Olympic trials, putting a hiccup in her chase for gold.
Brittany Bowe, a fellow skater and good friend, offered Jackson her spot in Beijing, calling it “the right thing to do.”
“There’s not a doubt in my mind that she wouldn’t do the same thing for me,” Bowe told NBC Sports last month.
Jackson said she lost sleep over her mistake at the Olympic trials and said it was devastating to have potentially lost out on a chance to bring home a medal.
“Just for her to do something like this for me, it’s amazing,” Jackson said at the time. “I’m just incredibly grateful. I’m really humbled, and she’s just an amazing person.
