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Erin Jackson

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Erin Jackson
Personal information
Born (1992-09-19) September 19, 1992 (age 32)
Ocala, Florida, U.S.
Sport
SportSpeed skating
Event(s)500 m, 1000 m
Coached byRenee Hildebrand
Medal record
Representing the  United States
Women's speed skating
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2022 Beijing 500 m
World Single Distances Championships
Silver medal – second place 2023 Heerenveen Team sprint
Silver medal – second place 2024 Calgary Team sprint
Four Continents Championships
Gold medal – first place 2024 Salt Lake City 500 m
Gold medal – first place 2025 Hachinohe 500 m
Silver medal – second place 2024 Salt Lake City Team sprint
Women's inline speed skating
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 2023 Santiago 500 m + distance
Silver medal – second place 2015 Toronto 500 m
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Santiago 200 m time-trial

Erin Jackson (born September 19, 1992)[1] is an American speed skater, roller derby player, and Olympic gold medalist. Jackson is the first Black woman to win a Winter Olympic gold medal in an individual sport.[2] She qualified for The World Games 2017 in Wroclaw, Poland, where she competed in inline speed skating in various distances on road and track. She also qualified to compete in the 500 meters long track speed skating event at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

On February 13, 2022, Jackson won the gold medal in the Women's 500m speed skating event at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. She is the first Black American woman to medal in speed skating.[3]

Early life and education

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Erin Jackson was born in Ocala, Florida, to Tracy and Rita Jackson. She has one brother.[1] Jackson first skated at eight years old when she tried figure skating.[4] Jackson attended Shores Christian Academy, Howard Middle School, and Forest High School. She then went on to the University of Florida, where she graduated with honors from the Materials Science & Engineering program.[5]

Career

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Jackson won gold in the 500-meter inline skating race at the 2008–09 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. She also competes in roller derby with the Jacksonville RollerGirls of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), earning the MVP award at the 2014 WFTDA Division 1 Playoff in Evansville, Indiana,[6] and advancing to WFTDA Championships in both 2015 and 2016.[7][8]

In 2016, Erin Jackson transitioned to speed skating on the ice. She qualified for the 2018 Winter Olympics with only four months of experience in speedskating on ice.[9] Coached by Renee Hildebrand, Jackson qualified at the 500-meter distance,[5] and finished 24th out of 31 competitors in Pyeongchang.[10]

In November 2021, she won her first 500-meter Speedskating World Cup races in Poland with two track records, making her the first Black American woman to win in the World Cup.[11][12][13][14]

Jackson won the gold medal in the women's 500-meter speed skating event at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, besting the field by 0.08 seconds with a time of 37.04 seconds.[15] She had nearly missed out on qualifying for the Olympics after slipping during the U.S. Trials in this event. Her teammate and longtime friend Brittany Bowe won the event but gave up her spot for Jackson to qualify. Jackson became the first Black woman to win a Winter Olympic gold in an individual sport.[2] Jackson also is the first American woman to win an Olympic speed skating gold since Chris Witty in 1000m in 2002, and the first American woman to win the women's 500m since Bonnie Blair in 1994.[16]

In March 2023, Jackson completed at the 2023 World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships and won a silver medal in the team sprint.[17]

She represented the United States at the 2024 Four Continents Speed Skating Championships and won a gold medal in the 500 meter and a silver medal in the team sprint.[18] Later that year, she competed at the November 2024 2025 Four Continents Speed Skating Championships and won a gold medal in the 500 meter.[19]

World Cup overview

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Season Location 500 meter
2018–2019 Obihiro, Japan 18th 18th
Tomakomai, Japan 10th
Tomaszów Mazowiecki, Poland 12th 14th
Heerenveen, Netherlands 9th
Hamar, Norway 16th 19th
2019–2020 Calgary, Alberta, Canada 18th
2021–2022 Tomaszów Mazowiecki, Poland 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Stavanger, Norway 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. 1st place, gold medalist(s) 6th
Calgary, Alberta, Canada 5th 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Heerenveen, Netherlands 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s)
2022–2023 Stavanger, Norway 8th
Heerenveen, Netherlands 4th
Calgary, Alberta, Canada 6th 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Tomaszów Mazowiecki, Poland 5th 6th
2023–2024 Obihiro, Japan 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 4th
Beijing, China 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Stavanger 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Tomaszów Mazowiecki, Poland 4th 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Quebec, Canada 5th 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
2024–2025 Nagano, Japan 9th 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Beijing, China 6th 4th
Season Location 1000 meter
2022–2023 Stavanger, Norway 13th
Heerenveen, Netherlands 16th
Calgary, Alberta, Canada 16th 13th
Tomaszów Mazowiecki, Poland 17th
2023–2024 Obihiro, Japan 20th
Tomaszów Mazowiecki, Poland 11th
Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. 8th 16th
Quebec, Canada 16th
Season Location Team Sprint
2018–2019 Tomaszów Mazowiecki, Poland 9th
2019–2020 6th
2022–2023 Heerenveen, Netherlands 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Calgary, Alberta, Canada 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Tomaszów Mazowiecki, Poland 1st place, gold medalist(s)
2023–2024 Beijing, China DQ
Stavanger, Norway 1st place, gold medalist(s)
2024–2025 Beijing, China 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)

Source:[20]

Personal life

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In 2023, she was a contestant on Special Forces: World's Toughest Test, season 2; she was the only woman to win.

Honors and awards

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Erin Jackson Biography". Team USA. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  2. ^ a b Schad, Tom (February 13, 2022). "Speedskater Erin Jackson becomes first Black woman to win gold medal in individual event at Winter Games". USA TODAY.
  3. ^ NBC Olympics. "History for @ErinJackson480. She is the first Black woman to medal in speed skating at the #WinterOlympics". Twitter. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  4. ^ "Who is Erin Jackson?". NBC Olympics. Archived from the original on August 26, 2018. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  5. ^ a b Ross, Jim (January 9, 2018). "Erin Jackson is busy and focused". Ocala.com.
  6. ^ "Tournament MVPs - Women's Flat Track Derby Association". WFTDA. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  7. ^ "How A World-Class Inline Skater Is Shaking Up The Roller Derby Scene". ESPN. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  8. ^ Gardiner, Kelley (November 5, 2016). "WFTDA Champs: Day One Roller Derby Recap". The Portland Mercury.
  9. ^ "Erin Jackson goes from Ocala Cannibals to U.S. Olympic team". OlympicTalk. January 6, 2018.
  10. ^ Janes, Chelsea (February 18, 2018). "In Erin Jackson, U.S. speedskating sees a bright glimpse into the future". The Washington Post.
  11. ^ "Jackson flies to first gold as ISU World Cup speed skating starts". ISU.org. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  12. ^ "Jackson and Bowe brilliant in Poland". NOS.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  13. ^ Gariano, Francesca (November 13, 2021). "Erin Jackson Becomes 1st Black American Woman to Win Speedskating World Cup". NBC10 Philadelphia. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  14. ^ "Jackson becomes 1st Black American woman to win World Cup". AP News. November 12, 2021.
  15. ^ "Erin Jackson wins first career Olympic gold medal in women's 500m". NBC Olympics. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  16. ^ Shintaro Kano (February 13, 2022). "Erin Jackson's gold-medal story, co-written by Brittany Bowe, is "unbelievable"". olympics.com. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  17. ^ "Jordan Stolz Scores A Historic Trio Of World Titles — Again". US Speedskating. February 20, 2024.
  18. ^ "Home ice advantage? Dawson, Jackson dominate in speed skating championships". Park Record. January 21, 2024.
  19. ^ "Ocala's Erin Jackson kicks off speed skating season with gold medal". Ocala-News.com. November 17, 2024.
  20. ^ "Skater Profile - Erin Jackson (USA)". Speed Skating News. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
  21. ^ "Sports Illustrated's Fittest 50 2022". Sports Illustrated. January 17, 2022.
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