American · Ocala, Florida, USA · Born 19 September 1992American speed skater who became the first Black woman to win an individual Winter Olympics gold medal, capturing 500m glory in 2022 after nearly missing qualification and being gifted a spot by a teammate.
Erin Jackson was born on 19 September 1992 in Ocala, Florida, and built an accomplished career in inline speed skating - winning 47 national titles and 12 world championship medals - before transitioning to ice speed skating in late 2017, alongside fellow Ocala natives Brittany Bowe and Joey Mantia. Remarkably, just four months after making the switch, she qualified for the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics in the 500m, finishing 24th in her Olympic debut. Jackson developed rapidly into the world's top-ranked 500m skater heading into the 2022 Beijing Olympic Trials, but a slip during her race left her in third place, one spot outside automatic qualification. In an extraordinary act of sportsmanship, her teammate and longtime friend Brittany Bowe - who had won the race - relinquished her own qualifying spot to Jackson, believing Jackson had the better chance of Olympic gold. At the Beijing 2022 Olympics, Jackson vindicated that decision, winning the 500m in 37.04 seconds to become the first Black woman to win an individual gold medal at a Winter Olympics, and the first American woman to win the event since Bonnie Blair in 1994. She later returned briefly to inline skating to win a world title in 2022, and continued competing in speed skating through a fifth Olympics at Milan-Cortina 2026, where she was selected as a Team USA flagbearer.
Becoming the first Black woman to win an individual Winter Olympics gold medal, in the 500m at Beijing 2022
How They Played
Explosive sprint specialist whose background in inline skating translated into elite lower-body power and stability on the ice
Lasting Impact
Remembered for a breakthrough that broke new ground for Black athletes in winter sports, and for one of the Olympics' most celebrated acts of teammate sportsmanship in her path to gold
Career Honours
- 2022 Olympic Gold Medalist, 500m
- First Black woman to win an individual Winter Olympics gold medal
- First American woman to win Olympic 500m gold since Bonnie Blair (1994)
- 47 national titles and 12 world medals in inline speed skating
American Athletes