Erin Jackson is set to compete in her third Winter Olympic Games, yet the journey to Milano-Cortina 2026 has been packed with more unpredictability than one might anticipate for a reigning Olympic champion. The qualification of the American speed skater for the 1,000-meter event on Saturday at the U.S. Olympic Trials marked a significant moment of redemption. It was a triumph over recent injury and past heartbreak, taking place in the very Milwaukee arena where her Olympic aspirations once faced a daunting challenge.

Only a few weeks before, there were big question marks surrounding Jackson’s participation. In December, she sustained a torn left hamstring, which forced her to withdraw from a World Cup event and approach this competition with caution.

“It was just going to be a surprise how today was going to go because I haven’t really tested myself in about a month … so it ended up going really nicely,” Jackson admitted after her race, as reported by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

She surged ahead in the 1,000 meters, clocking an impressive 1:14.63 and securing the fastest lap times among her competitors, ultimately besting her close friend and world record-holder, Brittany Bowe, by a narrow margin of 0.39 seconds. The triumph ensured an automatic nomination for the Games, causing a deep sense of relief.

“I didn’t feel any pain in my hamstring today. Hopefully, I continue to not feel it tomorrow when I wake up. I think it’s looking good,” Jackson said. She also spoke about a persistent back issue that has been a longstanding challenge: “My back is same old. I’ve kind of learned to deal with the ups and downs of my back injury. That’s one that I don’t know if it’ll ever go away. I just get better at dealing with.”

Four years before, on this very ice at the 2022 trials, Jackson—then the leading contender in the world for the 500-meter event—experienced a slip during her race, ultimately finishing in third place, just one spot away from securing an Olympic spot.

In a remarkable display of sportsmanship, Bowe, who had secured her place in the event, gave up her spot to allow Jackson the opportunity to compete at the Beijing Games. Jackson capitalized on her second opportunity to etch her name in history, securing gold in the 500 meters and becoming the first Black woman to earn an individual gold medal at a Winter Olympics. However, Jackson’s journey to this point exemplifies a fire within the athlete that refuses to extinguish.

Erin Jackson didn’t always skate on ice

Erin Jackson, a former world champion inline skater hailing from Ocala, Florida, made her debut on the ice in 2016 at the age of 24. “I grew up roller skating. I just genuinely enjoy being on skates. And I love going fast. Back when I was just a rink rat, I’d get in trouble for going too fast at the rink. But now I’m in a sport where that’s encouraged,” she remarked regarding her transition.

Moreover, she approached the sport with an engineer’s perspective, holding a degree in materials science and engineering, thoroughly analyzing each stride and turn as a technical challenge to be addressed. “The sport I do is super technical, super precise. It could be something as small as not activating a tiny muscle in your core that throws off the way you skate a corner. You have to be basically perfect because any little misstep can take you out of the running,” she elaborated.

Her analytical approach enabled her to swiftly master a new sport, achieving qualification for the 2018 Pyeongchang Games just months after transitioning to ice. Only time will reveal whether she can add another Olympic gold medal to her illustrious career in Milano-Cortina.

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