Jacksons gold came less than five years after she converted from inline/roller derby skating to the ice. Her family lovingly calls her a nerd. Jackson has adored Bowe, who is four years older, for almost as long as she can remember. Though she didn't start practicing the sport in 2017, she finished 24th at the 2018 Olympics. There was a bit of doubt for a while there. kate Mania isnt much different than it was two decades ago when Erin Jackson first walked in. American Erin Jacksonreturned from her post-Olympic-gold-medal whirlwind to win the last two speed skating World Cup 500m races this season, capturing the season title and No. Reminded of those comments on Sunday, Shimabukuro smiled. The officials wouldn't give Jackson a re-skate in the qualifiers, which meant that the four-time winner on the world circuit would miss the Olympics. ", Erin Jackson celebrates her victory. If it comes down to it, you can have my spot, Bowe told Jackson following the qualifying race. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, 2022 Winter Olympics Preview: Erin Jackson, Erin Jackson Is Ready to Make a Statement on Ice, Erin Jackson Becomes First Black Woman to Win Speedskating Medal, Kaillie Humphries and Elana Meyers Taylor Steer the Way for Women in Bobsled. Many across the world, including "CBS Morning" co-host Gayle King and Oprah, have sent messages of support to Jackson for her historic win. The 29-year-old sometimes refers to her job as skating in circles. On Sunday night in Beijing, she was crowned best in the world at just that. Since then, Jackson has become dominant in the 500m, the shortest, least technical of the long-track races. It has been a tough couple of years and a tough beginning for this year. 
Not because school was getting in the way of skating, but because skating was getting in the way of school. 
By 15, Jackson had won the first of four inline world titles. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. She qualified for the 2018 Winter Olympics with only four months of experience in speedskating on ice. after a costly slip at Januarys US trials. Erin Jackson has officially made the history books as the first Black woman to win a medal in speed skating. And I just always hope to be a good example, especially with helping kids see they dont have to just choose one between schools and sport.". I think I was still a bit blank at that point, she said. Copyright 2022 Sporting News Holdings Limited. 1 in the world and now shes an Olympic champion. How Long Are You Contagious With COVID and When Can You End Isolation. Erin Jackson won a gold medal in the 500-meter speed skating event, becoming the first Black woman to ever win a gold medal in speed skating. More Olympics Coverage: Erin Jackson Is Ready to Make a Statement on Ice Erin Jackson Becomes First Black Woman to Win Speedskating Medal Kaillie Humphries and Elana Meyers Taylor Steer the Way for Women in Bobsled. Im sure a lot of the other competitors were looking forward to the Olympics for a lot longer than I was. Growing up in Ocala, Florida, ice skating is not common, and Jackson had not even stepped on an ice rink until 2016. Sorry! Instead, for all the clamor over her trail-blazing achievement on the world stage, Jackson says that shes added no new sponsors since Beijing. Jacksons earliest memories of life involve skating. Bowe had already qualified in the 1,000m speed skating qualifiers, and decided to formally relinquish her spot in the 500m event. Jackson finished 24th in PyeongChang. Her teammate and longtime friend Brittany Bowe won the event, but gave up her spot for Jackson to qualify. 2016 first steps on ice This is not an unprecedented move for coach Bill Belichick or the franchise. Bowe reportedly said she had a better chance to medal in the 1,000 meter and 1,500 meter events and that Jackson deserved to compete. A year later, she decided to fully commit with her sights fixed on the 2022 Olympics. It was the right thing to do. Whats next? Despite long-running efforts by the International Olympic Committee to increase diversity through quota systems, not enough has changed to bring more people of color into Winter Olympic sports. [1] Jackson first skated at eight years old when she tried figure skating. Even her fellow U.S. teammate Brittany Bowe knew it, as she gave up her spot on the team for Jackson before both skaters ended up making Team USAs roster. After the second, she thought, O.K., lets do this. Complete list of 2022 Olympic winners from United States. I hope I have a longer future. "My first season was OK, just getting my feet under me. "Erins ranked No. That includes branching out to the 1000m so I can do more than 37 seconds of racing at the Olympics, she says while staying on top at her signature distance. I think I kind of blacked out, said Bowe, who earned bronze in the 1000m four nights later. A self-described rink rat, she also stood out in the rough-and-tumble world of roller derby, excelling as a jammer with the Jacksonville RollerGirls of the Womens Flat Track Derby Association. Who is Erin Jackson? So thats what Im enjoying doing, trying to get more people to know that this sport is out there. "Its like a dream come true. Before she left the rink that night, she promised Jackson that she would give up her spot in that event. She first stepped hesitantly on to an ice rink during a trip to the Netherlands in 2016, an experience she describes as Bambi on ice, a moment captured on a video that NBC aired endlessly during their Olympic telecast. She then emerged from the post-Olympic maelstrom to win the last two 500m events of the year at the World Cup finals in the Netherlands in March, finishing with six wins from 10 races to clinch the season-long title and remove any lingering doubt to her claim as the worlds best sprinter. But that was not the case for 29-year-old Erin Jackson. Until team-mate Brittany Bowe stepped in. After waffling for a year or twothe two sports are more different than they seem, plus ice speedskating is coldJackson made the switch for good in 2018, just four months before that years Olympic trials. It's actually been a pretty humbling experience going through what weve been through the last month to hear how I inspired her and mentored her, she said Sunday.) As Durant tries to get out of Brooklyn, Golden State general manager Bob Myers assesses his roster: I like our team.. The last time an American woman took home the top prize in the event was 1994. All Rights Reserved. "I think it is really important that we all support each other and I am just really lucky to have a really awesome crew behind me, like my coaches and teammates, it's just been amazing," Jackson said. However, after having a conversation with Jackson after the competition, winner Brittany Bowe told Jackson she would give up her spot in the 500m so her teammate could compete at the 2022 Olympics. I just think its really strange to imagine that its 2022 and Im getting the first individual gold medal by a Black woman ever in the history of the Winter Olympics, Jackson says. Thats a scary thought for everyone else on the oval. Note: Some components of NBCOlympics.com may not be optimized for users browsing with But the Olympic itch returned after she watched Bowe and Mantia represent the United States and Skate Mania at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi. ", MORE: Erin Jackson's gold-medal story, co-written by Brittany Bowe, is "unbelievable". She went to school instead, enrolling at the nearby University of Florida to pursue an engineering degree. Her mother worked as a pharmacy technician when she met Renee Hildebrand, who was coming in to get her medicines.
[11][12], In 2016, Erin Jackson started her transition to speed skating on the ice.
"I just hope it isn't 20 years for the next one," she said. She also qualified to compete in the 500 meters long track speed skating event at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. Bowe went on to win the bronze in the women's 1,000-meter event. Erin Jacksons gold medal rests on a park bench at Baseline Trailhead park in Ocala, Florida. It would be cool to do something that could help the Paralympic movement, she says. For the last five years, shes called Salt Lake City home, not far from the Olympic oval where she trains. In December, Shimabukuro told SI that Jackson was still in her infancy in the sport. As late as this week, she was trying to refine her start; she believes she is just now getting the hang of it. people dont care a whole lot as soon as the Olympics are over, she says, smiling. It might seem kind of impossible but you just have to put the work in," Jackson told "CBS Mornings.". Because going into the season, I had no idea where I stood.. Its been two months since she surged to Olympic speed skating glory in the womens 500m, becoming the first Black woman to win gold in any individual event at the Winter Games. hide caption. Bowe had won the race at trials but decided to forfeit her spot to allow Jackson to race at Beijing 2022. "This medal means so much. Keep up with all the action in our Live Blog updates throughout Beijing 2022, here. Meet the Olympian who broke the USA's gold medal drought in speed skating, How many gold medals does USA have? To view this content, click 'Allow and continue'. Skate Mania isnt much different than it was two decades ago when Erin Jackson first walked in. Youre an Olympic champion, he said. Shes been partnering with Edge Sports, a non-profit that works to normalize Black and brown bodies on ice rinks and ski slopes around the country, to establish a chapter in Utah. Five weeks ago, Jackson, 29, was not even sure she would make it to Beijing. Midway through her race, she slippednot enough to fall, but enough to cost her nearly a full second. In a karmic twist of fate, Bowe will end up competing in the 500m after all. She was the medal favorite going into the 2022 Games. I was the slowest one on the team. What makes Jackson, 29, feeling unnoticed soon after the Games hard to understand is that she cant help but stand out. Instead she put together the race of her life to that point and made the team. She competed in several roller derby championships during her collegiate career at the University of Florida. BEIJING Erin Jackson is never happier than when she is thinking. In the run-up to this years Olympics, Jackson reeled off a string of wins on the international circuit, becoming the first Black American woman to win a speed skating World Cup race her previous best finish was ninth and positioning herself as a serious contender for Beijing. She hopes to inspire Black children who dont often see Winter Olympians who look like them, she said, and also kids who want to have more priorities in lifeyou know, school [before sports].. 2022 ABG-SI LLC. By her own admission, her gold-medal 500m run wasn't perfect, but what's for sure is that Jackson has caught excellence. Bowe offered Jackson her spot, a gesture that ultimately proved unnecessary after several nations returned their quota spots and Bowe was able to compete in the 500m as well. Use of the Website signifies your agreement to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Jackson is the first Black woman to win a Winter Olympic gold medal in an individual sport. Thank you, thank you, thank youand from Shimabukuro, who kept his comments short. What was surprising was what ran through her mind as she stood atop the podium afterward. [3][4][5][6], On February 13, 2022, Jackson won the gold medal in the Women's 500m speed skating event at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. She holds two degrees and is on her way to a third. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. The competition was Jackson's second Olympic race since she became the first Black woman to represent the U.S. in speed skating in Pyeongchang. Complete list of 2022 Olympic winners from United States, Kamila Valieva Olympics doping case, explained: What to know about Russian figure skater's failed drug test, Olympics medal count 2022: Updated table of gold, silver, bronze medals for every country. Jackson prevailed at the World Cup Finals in Heerenveen, Netherlands, on Saturday and Sunday, clinching the title by adding up results from the entire season. But as Jacksons trophy case filled and high school graduation drew near, she faced a gnawing reality: there are no Olympic medals for inline skating. It also marked the first individual U.S. speed skating medal since 2010 and first individual U.S. womens speed skating medal since 2002. Erin Jackson (born September 19, 1992)[1] is an American speed skater, roller derby player, and Olympic gold medalist. The pair, who are both from Ocala, Florida, have formed a friendship throughout years of competition. Brittany Bowe, who finished first, also had qualified for the Olympics in the 1,000 meters and the 1,500 meters, which are her specialties. I just listened to my coach, tried to turn it around and ended up finishing the season off pretty strong. Bowe finished 16th, with U.S. teammate Kimi Goetz placing 18th among 30 competitors. Both grew up in Ocala, Fla., as inline speedskaters. Jackson wants to combine her fields of study by developing new sports equipment or prosthetics. The victory almost didn't happen. Jackson, a native of Ocala, Fla. who only took her first steps on the ice in 2016, previously competed in inline speed skating and roller derby. I couldnt be more proud to be her teammate and Im just happy to be part of the puzzle.. She won six of 10 races, distancing 2018 Olympic gold medalist Nao Kodaira of Japan in the standings. Jackson's mum told Hilderbrand about her daughter who loved nothing more than to skate and Hildebrand invited her to bring her daughter to the practice rink. Watch Live: House Jan. 6 committee looks at Trump's 187 minutes at White House, Biden tests positive for COVID-19 and has "very mild symptoms," White House says, House passes bill to protect access to birth control, Ex-officer gets 2 1/2 years in prison for violating George Floyd's civil rights, Watchdog directs Secret Service to stop internal investigation into deleted texts, 9 injured in shuttle bus crash at Los Angeles International Airport, Supreme Court prevents Biden from reinstating ICE arrest policy, What is Paxlovid? She had won four of the eight World Cup races in the 500 meters, and she was ranked No. 2022 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. (This was news to Bowe. On Feb. 13, Jackson became the first Black woman to win a Winter Olympic title in an individual event. Pressure is something that shapes Jackson and other Olympic athletes. This is the outcome Jackson envisioned when she took this past year off from collegeshe is working on an associates degree in kinesiology to add to her bachelors in materials science and engineering and an associates in computer scienceto train with Shimabukuro in Salt Lake City. "It's so amazing and it's just hard to imagine someone making that sort of a sacrifice for you and it was amazing. Chicago's Top Doctor Explains, Haunted Mental Hospital in Illinois Reopens to Public This Weekend. After making history in Beijing, the speed skater faces life after the spotlight, with sponsorships, training and changing the sport on her mind. Had it not also been for a coach with a shrewd eye for talent and an unorthodox speed skating background of her own Jacksons meteoric ascent might never have left the launchpad. The former MLB and NFL superstar revealed he made a previously anonymous donation to cover costs for grieving families. The next season, she started racking up top-10 finishes competing against skaters who had been on ice for a decade longer than she. "So proud of her, I want this moment to be about her and just enjoy it. She skated in the fifth pairing, finished 16th and got off the ice in time to spend Jacksons pairing, the 14th out of 15, sprinting around the oval, screaming gibberish. The thing with Olympic sports is that how do I say it diplomatically? With her gold in the 500 meters on Sunday, Jackson became the first Black woman to earn a speed skating medal. I feel like thats a pretty strange thing for the year that were in.. Because it does go kind of dark after the Games. Her father, Tracy, moved from Ocala to Salt Lake City last June. Catherine Ivill/Getty Images [9], Jackson won gold in the 500-m inline skating race at the 200809 Junior World Championships, gold in the same event at the 2014 Pan American Championships, and was named United States Olympic Committee Female Athlete of the Year for Roller Sports in 2012 and 2013. No Featured Athletes at the moment. Roughly six years after stepping on ice for the first time in her life, the former inline skater completed the all-out sprint in a time of 37.04sec, ending Team USAs extended medal drought in a sport it once dominated and earning her the title of worlds fastest woman on ice. What's remarkable is that Jackson, who picked up speed skating just under five years ago, nearly didn't even make it to Beijing. The former NFL quarterback previously listed this popular sport as one of his retirement hobbies.
Jackson became the first Black female to win an individual gold medal at the Winter Olympics. I just tried to turn everything off and have an automatic race. She recalls clacking around in a pair of plastic adjustable roller skates that buckled into place on top of her shoes in the driveway of her familys Ocala house. Carlos Sainz saw his Austrian Grand Prix run come to a fiery end, marking his fourth DNF in 11 races. This article includes content provided by Instagram. Any use, reproduction, modification, distribution, display or performance of this material without NBC Universals prior written consent is prohibited. MORE:Olympics medal count 2022: Updated table of gold, silver, bronze medals for every country. Jackson plays a big role in that. 1 in the world in the 500 meters, but she still had to finish in the top two at U.S. trials in the event. Wheres the money coming from? Then on the doorstep of Beijing, Jackson thought her Olympic dream was dashed after a costly slip at Januarys US trials appeared to cost her a place on the team. She is the first Black woman to medal in speed skating at the #WinterOlympics", "Tournament MVPs - Women's Flat Track Derby Association", "How A World-Class Inline Skater Is Shaking Up The Roller Derby Scene", "WFTDA Champs: Day One Roller Derby Recap", "Erin Jackson goes from Ocala Cannibals to U.S. Olympic team", "In Erin Jackson, U.S. speedskating sees a bright glimpse into the future", "Erin Jackson wins first career Olympic gold medal in women's 500m", "Erin Jackson's gold-medal story, co-written by Brittany Bowe, is "unbelievable", Olympic champions in women's 500 m speed skating, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Erin_Jackson&oldid=1098028770, Olympic gold medalists for the United States in speed skating, Speed skaters at the 2018 Winter Olympics, Speed skaters at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Roller speed skaters at the 2015 Pan American Games, Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States, Pan American Games medalists in roller skating, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles using sports links with data from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 13 July 2022, at 21:35. No one is more deserving than her.. I still feel kind of new in the sport and Im just really grateful it turned out this way. Relive her brilliant speed skating performance to win GOLD for @TeamUSA. After a few months of rest, Jackson will gear back up for the World Cup season beginning in November. Jacksons historic triumph Team USAs first individual speed skating medal of any color in 12 years and the first by an American woman since 2002 was breathlessly touted, peppered with slews of interviews and shout-outs from Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama, Viola Davis and Gabrielle Union. hide caption. In the aftermath, she wondered briefly whether she should have flopped, since a fall triggers an automatic reskate. Her mother died when she was a senior in high school, but her dedication to her father, her education and her skating provided a source of strength. Copyright 2022 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. It would seem Jacksons improbable backstory a Black star in an almost entirely white sport, hailing from a warm-weather city more than an hours drive from the nearest ice rink and unfathomable run of success as a relative novice would be catnip for corporate sponsors. Bowe got the chance to compete in the 500m after all, since the United States was granted an extra spot in the event. She is an amazingly selfless person," Jackson said. I was going to do this race that just happened to be a place where other people were trying to qualify for the Olympics.. Both eventually came to the same realization: Inline speedskating is not an Olympic sport but ice speedskating is. I wouldnt have predicted this even a year ago.
She wanted to be able to give her classes her full attention, and she knew she could not do that until the Olympics were over. The International Skating Union's final reallocation of places granted a third sprint quota spot to the United States which, naturally, went to the 33-year-old Bowe. Brittany BoweandJoey Mantia, fellow natives of Ocala, Florida, won season titles in the womens 1000m and mens 1500m, respectively, after also taking an Olympic medal last month. Jackson became the first Black woman to win a Winter Olympic gold in an individual sport. Shell have to think about it. [14], Jackson won the gold medal in the Women's 500 meter speed skating event at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, racing in the 14th pairing (out of 15), and besting the field by 0.08 seconds with a time of 37.04 seconds. MORE: Olympic speed skating at Beijing 2022: Top five things to know. I was lucky to have people like at the rink right over there, who would donate skates and equipment and wheels..