US Erin Jackson wins speedskating gold at the Beijing Olympics
Jackson became first Black woman to win a speedskating medal at the Olympics — and it was the best color of them all.“A lot of shock, a lot of relief and a lot of happiness,” Jackson said after her victory in the 500 meters.for an inline skating champion from balmy Ocala, Florida, who traded her wheels for blades in order to chase an improbable Olympic dream.Jackson’s skin color makes her an anomaly at the speedskating oval.
“She’s such a fantastic role model,” Hildebrand said in a telephone interview. “Maybe little girls and little boys who are not all about roller skating or ice skating will see her and say, ‘Hey, people my color are there. She looks like me.’” Jackson won with a time of 37.04 seconds, giving the American speedskating program its first medal of the Beijing Games, its first individual medal since 2010, and its first victory in the women’s 500 since Bonnie Blair in 1994.and shockingly finished third, putting her spot on the Olympic team in jeopardy.
Jackson darted off the line and and essentially won the gold in the first 100 meters, before she negotiated the first turn. Her opening split was 10.33 seconds, compared to 10.41 for Takagi.“When it comes to the 500, it’s a matter of hundredths and sometimes thousandths of a second,” said Ryan Shimabukuro, Jackson’s coach when she’s on ice. “I knew she had the speed and it was going to come down to the opener. When I saw she opened in 10.
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