From Blades to Wheels: Erin Jackson Strikes Gold Again
by US Speedskating
Erin Jackson, Florida native and Olympic Gold medalist, won Gold this weekend at the 2023 Pan American Games held in Santiago, Chile. This victory came just days after becoming a National Champion in speed skating at the Long Track US Championships in Milwaukee. With her outstanding results at US Championships, she solidified her spot on the 2023-24 Fall World Cup Team.
On Saturday morning, she took to the course for the 500m finals and secured the win with a time of 45.518 seconds. The day before her Gold in the 500m, she also won Bronze in the Women’s 200m race.
Jackson is no stranger to success in multiple sports. When she transitioned to ice speed skating in 2018, she already had an impressive list of in-line skating accomplishments, including a Silver medal at her last Pan American Games in Toronto in 2015. Once on speed skates, she qualified for the 2018 Winter Olympics and then in 2022 at the Beijing Winter Olympics became the first Black woman to win a Winter Olympic Gold medal in an individual event.
“I don’t train on my inlines a whole lot. I just kind of stay in shape for my ice skating,” Jackson said in an interview with Team USA prior to the event. “I spend the practice days at the inline competitions just getting used to inlining again. But it’s not normally too tricky of a process.”
There’s no time to rest for Jackson after this weekend’s win. Her next stop is World Cup #1 in Obihiro, Japan, where she will compete this weekend against the world’s top speed skaters. Click here for how to watch Erin Jackson race this weekend.
