MAKING HISTORY 🏅 ErinJackson is now the first Black woman to win a speedskating medal at the Winter Olympics - and a gold one, at that.
"Hopefully, this has an effect," Jackson said."Hopefully, we'll see more minorities, especially in the USA, getting out and trying these winter sports."
The 29-year-old Jackson, a former inline skater who switched to the ice shortly before the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, joined fellow American Shani Davis as the only Black athletes to win long-track speedskating medals at the Olympics. But teammate Brittany Bowe, another Ocala skater who finished first at the trials, gave up her spot in the 500 to ensure Jackson would get to compete in Beijing.As it turned out, the Americans received a third slot in the 500 when the final allocations were made, so Bowe got to skate as well. She finished 16th."She hugged me and we cried," the winner said."She said she's really proud of me and I said a lot of thank yous.
Making the switch just months before the Pyeongchang Games, she was such a fast study that she earned a spot on the U.S. team. She finished 24th in the 500, but it was clear that she had barely tapped into her potential.
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