Winter Olympics, first Black woman to win a gold medal

On Sunday, a 29-year-old Florida native and long-time rollerblader became the first Black woman to earn a gold medal for Team USA in speed skating.

At the Beijing Olympics, Erin Jackson won her first Olympic medal in the women’s 500-meter speed skating event, which Team USA had not won since 1994. Jackson clocked a time of 37.04 seconds to complete her lap.

Although it may seem implausible that a skater who grew up on rollerblades would become an Olympian on the ice, Jackson soon established herself as a gold medal contender. She made her Olympic debut in Pyeongchang four years ago, after switching to ice skating about a year prior.

She was the first Black woman to be selected for Team USA’s speed skating squad.

Jackson’s return to the Olympics, despite being ranked No. 1 in the world, was not certain. During the Olympic trials, she stumbled, putting a halt to her quest for gold.

The silver went to Miho Takagi of Japan, while Angelina Golikova of the Russian team took the bronze.

Jackson’s victory came after the native of warm Ocala, Florida, stumbled and finished third at the US trials, jeopardising her berth on the Olympic team.

However, teammate Brittany Bowe, who placed first in the trials, gave up her spot on the team to ensure that Jackson skated in Beijing.

A fellow skater and close friend, Brittany Bowe, offered Jackson her spot in Beijing, calling it “the appropriate thing to do.”

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.

As she turned into the first curve, Jackson raced off the line and was under Takagi’s time. As she approached the finish line in speedskating’s shortest race, she maintained her speed across the crossing straight and into the final bend, swinging both arms ferociously.

Jackson’s gaze was drawn to the scoreboard as soon as her skates passed the finish line.

Jackson has emerged as one of the top sprinters in the world during the current World Cup season. She won four of the eight 500-meter events, becoming her the first Black woman to do so, and she entered the Olympics as one of the favourites.

In Beijing, she lived up to the hype, becoming the first American woman to win an Olympic medal since 2002.

She took out an American flag and ran a victory lap around the Ice Ribbon oval, the stars and stripes floating above her head.

Bowe told NBC Sports last month, “There’s not a doubt in my mind that she would do the same thing for me.”

Jackson said she couldn’t sleep at night because of her mistake at the Olympic trials, and that it was devastating to have missed out on a chance to bring home a medal.

“It’s wonderful that she would do anything like this for me,” Jackson stated at the time. “I’m just overwhelmed with gratitude.” I’m truly humbled, and she’s an incredible person.”