On the evening of February 13, in the women's 500m speed skating competition at the Beijing Winter Olympics, Irene Jackson from the United States won the gold medal with a time of 37.04 seconds. On February 14, the Olympic official website introduced the story of Erin Jackson: the 29-year-old black athlete, who only started practicing speed skating 6 years ago!
Erin Jackson (infographic)
Erin Jackson, 29, used to be a master skater in inline skater. However, inline skating is not an Olympic sport, and Erin Jackson has always dreamed of competing in the Olympics. In 2016, Erin Jackson transitioned to break through the speed skating program.
Six years ago, Erin Jackson was a true amateur speed skater – the Olympics official posted the first time Erin Jackson put on skate shoes in 2016:
Erin only started skating 6 years ago
On the skating rink, Irene Jackson had difficulty standing, and her movements looked very clumsy, not much different from amateur players.
With the foundation of inline skating, Erin Jackson quickly showed her strength in speed skating. In September 2017, Irene Jackson began to compete in official competitions; at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, Irene appeared in the 500m race, ranking 24th, and did not attract attention from the outside world.
Irene Jackson, who is very physically talented, is getting better and better, ranking 1st in the world in this project. At the Beijing Winter Olympics, Erin Jackson won the gold medal as she wished, realizing her Olympic gold medal dream.
Black athletes won gold medals at the Winter Olympics, which is rare in history. This Winter Olympic gold medal means that Erin Jackson created 3 miracles of the Winter Olympics:
The first black female athlete to win a speed skating medal; the first American female athlete to win a gold medal in speed skating in nearly 20 years; and the first American female athlete to win gold in the 500-meter event in nearly 28 years.
Erin Jackson and Bowie
Irene Jackson was able to appear in the 500m speed skating competition at the Beijing Winter Olympics thanks to her good friend Bowie. At the Winter Olympic Trials in January this year, Erin Jackson made a major mistake and only ranked 3rd, theoretically missing the Winter Olympics. However, his friend Bowie (1st place in the selection) gave up the spot to Erin, fulfilling her Olympic gold dream. The event was also praised by Olympic officials, calling it a "great friendship."
From skating rookie to Olympic champion, Erin Jackson took only 6 years. During these 6 years, Erin Jackson did not give up her studies, and she received a bachelor's degree in materials science and engineering from the University of Florida. Erin is a good girl who loves to learn, and in an interview, she said: "My hobby is learning. ”