Erin Jackson Becomes First Black Woman to Win Gold in Speed Skating at Winter Olympics
Erin Jackson, a 29-year-old Florida native and lifelong rollerblader became the first Black woman to win Team USA a gold medal in speed skating Sunday. She 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, finishing her lap in only 37.04 seconds.
Jackson was already a gold medal favorite leading into this. She made her Olympic debut four years ago in Pyeongchang, having switched to ice skating from rollerblading roughly a year earlier. She was the first Black woman to make it on to Team USA as a speed skater. However, 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, ultimately offered Jackson her spot in Beijing, calling it "the right thing to do." The rest, as we already know, was history.
