After being named one of Team USA’s flag bearers, Erin Jackson arrived at the 2026 Winter Olympics with one last goal in mind: defending her 500 meter speed skating title! And everyone almost expected her to shine…after all, she made history in Beijing 2022 as the first Black woman to win individual gold. But this time, things didn’t go as planned.

On February 15, at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium in Milan, Italy, Erin Jackson raced in the women’s 500 m long-track event at the Milano Cortina Games. She finished fifth, clocking 37.32 seconds… which put her just outside medal contention. However, the gold went to Femke Kok of the Netherlands, who set a new Olympic record of 36.49 seconds and had been unbeaten at this distance coming into the Games.

Silver went to her teammate Jutta Leerdam (37.15 seconds), and Miho Takagi of Japan took bronze with 37.27 seconds. But at the same time, Jackson was only 0.05 seconds away from a medal. But to some extent, many had seen this coming.

Even before the race one fan noticed something unusual while Jackson was walking in her clap skates: “Did anyone see the metal parts that came out of nowhere when Erin Jackson was walking?” It wasn’t clear what exactly had happened, but it added an extra layer of tension to her day. But wait…that wasn’t the only challenge she faced!

Well, for her road to Milan hadn’t been easy at all. In December 2025 during the Speed Skating World Cup, she suffered a hamstring injury that forced her to skip at least two races. That strain disrupted her training and competition rhythm and because the 500 m is such a short, explosive race  even a small setback mattered. After the injury, she and her team carefully adjusted her training to keep her healthy enough to compete at the Olympics.

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But at the same time, Jackson has also dealt with chronic lower back pain from herniated discs over the past few years. Those issues sometimes meant reducing her training load or being cautious on the ice. Still, she stayed among the top sprinters in the world and earned her spot at the Games.

Before the Olympic race, Erin Jackson said she knew she “would need to have a really clean race” to be in medal contention. On that day, she gave everything she had, but the medal still eluded her. Even though she missed the podium, she can never be forgotten for the history she has made.

Erin Jackson has broken barriers on ice

Erin Jackson’s name will always be remembered in Olympic history. At the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, she won gold in the women’s 500 m speed skating, becoming the first Black woman to win an individual Olympic gold at a Winter Games. She crossed the finish line in 37.04 seconds, not just winning a medal but breaking barriers in a sport where few Black athletes have ever reached the top.

She was also the first American woman to win 500 m gold since Bonnie Blair in 1994 and the first to win any speed skating gold since 2002. But what makes Jackson’s story even better is where it began.

Growing up in Ocala, Florida with no ice rinks nearby… Erin Jackson started on inline skates and only switched to ice speed skating in 2016. Six years later she stood at the very top of her sport. Her victory ended a long U.S medal drought and inspired countless young athletes. But at the same time, her achievements go far beyond a single race.

She holds the American record in the 500 m… and has won medals at World Championships, Four Continents Championships, and the Pan American Games. Even with injuries and chronic back pain, she has remained among the best.

Even after finishing just outside the medals in 2026, Erin Jackson isn’t slowing down. She told NBC News she plans to keep racing, aiming for the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps:

“I can’t imagine stopping now, especially with the progress I made this season. The last two or so years before this year were pretty rough for me. To be able to come back from that, I can’t imagine stopping with this momentum going right now.” So, yes even without a medal, Erin Jackson’s legacy and drive remain unstoppable.