In the women’s 500-meter speed skating event in Beijing, Erin Jackson made history as the first Black woman to win a speed skating medal, gold, at the Winter Olympics. Her historic win after skating a 37.04-second race ramped up the United States’ medal count at the games, giving U.S. speed skating both its first medal of these games as well as the first individual speed skating Olympic medal since Vancouver in 2010. She and fellow American Shani Davis are the only Black athletes to medal in long-track speed skating at the Winter Olympics.
Speed skating wasn’t always Jackson’s forte. She used to be an inline skater before taking her first steps onto the ice back in 2018 to begin speed skating training for 2022. She placed third at the U.S. trials earlier that year, not sure whether or not she would get a spot on the Olympic team. However, her teammate Brittany Bowe stepped out of the 500-meter race to allow Jackson to have a chance to skate on Olympic ice. Earlier in the season, she burst onto the scene, setting fast times as her sprints increased. Out of eight races she competed in, she won four of them, also earning recognition as the first Black woman to win a World Cup title and be favored at the upcoming Olympics.
Historically, speed skating has had very few Black athletes competing within the sport. For a while, it was mostly dominated by Chinese and Korean skaters as well as white Americans. Many had rejoiced at watching Shani Davis breakthrough in the early 2000s and become the first Black athlete to win gold in an individual event at the Winter Olympics. Jackson’s gold medal-winning skate in Beijing breaks down barriers previously raised in the sport. It became clear just how much her historical win meant to her as she took a few moments to herself on the side of the rink, shedding tears of joy that went beyond national pride and recognition. Her gold moment on the podium later that night fueled her emotions as she proudly placed her hand over her heart during the U.S. national anthem, tears of pride signifying her place in history.
Her goal for the games was to come in trying to set an example like Davis had, drawing more attention to the sports and inspiring the next generation. Jackson received outpouring support after her win, including congratulations from Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King. Her reaction to her win both on the ice and at the podium left many Black Americans feeling a sense of pride at seeing her historic win come to fruition. Her win comes nearly 20 years after Vonetta Flowers became the first Black woman to win a gold medal at a Winter Olympics, winning gold in bobsledding. Jackson hopes that her win encourages other young Black athletes to continue pursuing the possible, hoping that it won’t be another 20 years before we see another Black athlete on the winter podium.