Monday, February 14, 2022

BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Erin Jackson wins gold in 500-meter speedskating; U.S. first in 28 years

She also was the first Black woman to win a gold medal in speedskating for the U.S.

By Adam Schrader


Erin Jackson of the USA takes a victory lap with her national flag after winning the gold medal in the women's 500-meter speedskating final at the Beijing Winter Olympics on February 13, 2022. Photo by Paul Hanna/UPI | License Photo

Feb. 13 (UPI) -- Erin Jackson of Team USA won a gold medal Sunday for her first-place finish in the women's 500-meter long-track speedskating event at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

It was the first time the United States has won the event since 1994 when Bonnie Blair won her third gold medal for the event at the Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway. 

She also was the first Black woman to win a gold medal in speedskating for the U.S.

"I wish I could describe how I feel. It is amazing. This medal means so much," Jackson told CNN after the race. "It has been a tough couple of years and a tough beginning for this year. For this to come around like this, I am so happy."

Jackson, 29, is from Ocala, Fla., where is doesn't snow, and she didn't start skating until five years ago.

Jackson finished the race with a time of 37.04 seconds while Miho Takagi of Japan took the silver medal with a time of 37.12 seconds and Angelina Golikova of the Russian Olympic Committee took the bronze with a time of 37.21 seconds.

"Speedy looking extra speedy," Team USA tweeted after her race, in reference to the athlete's nickname.

Jackson, who finished the event in 24th place during the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchange, South Korea, threw her arms in air and wore a look of surprised victory after realizing she had won the race.

"ERIN JACKSON IS OLYMPIC CHAMPION‼️‼️ REPEAT: ERIN JACKSON IS OLYMPIC CHAMPION," the Twitter account for the U.S. speedskating team posted.

Jackson recounted to CNN how her teammate Brittany Bowe had offered her spot on Team USA after Jackson had slipped during qualifying trials and was almost unable to compete. The U.S. later received a third spot,w hich allowed Bowe back into the competition.

"It was just amazing having her out there on the ice. We could just be happy together after the race. She hugged me, said she is really proud of me, and I just said a lot of thank yous," Jackson said.

"At the time when she gave up her spot, she didn't know we were getting a third one, so she made a really big sacrifice for me, and I will be grateful to her forever."

Jackson's win came after the U.S. men's team placed second during the team pursuit speedskating event quarterfinals, progressing to the semifinals.

Ethan Cepuran, Casey Dawson and Emery Lehman of Team USA finished the long-track race just 0.04 seconds behind Norway.

The Russian Olympic Committee finished the course in third place with a time of 3:38.67 while the Netherlands finished the course in fourth place with a time of 3:38.90. Both teams will also move on to the semi-finals and finals on Tuesday.

Eight teams competed for the chance to advance during the quarterfinals Sunday, with only the top four teams progressing to the semi-finals for a chance at a medal.

The semifinals will feature the U.S. facing off against the ROC while the Netherlands will race against Norway for a chance to advance to the finals.

The U.S. currently holds the world record of 3:34.47 in the men's team pursuit event for a race in Salt Lake City in December. Norway holds the Olympic Record for its gold medal finish in the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang in 2018.

No comments:

Post a Comment