BEIJING (AP) 鈥� Erin Jackson bolted off the line, her powerful legs attacking the ice, her destiny awaiting at the end of a frenetic dash around Beijing's magnificent speedskating oval.
She didn't view herself as some sort of trailblazer. She didn't think about the slip that could've snatched away her spot on the U.S. Olympic team. She simply than everyone else.
鈥淚 came here to win,鈥� the 29-year-old said.
Mission accomplished.
Jackson became first Black woman to win a speedskating medal at the Olympics 鈥� and it was the best color of them all.
Gold.
鈥淎 lot of shock, a lot of relief and a lot of happiness,鈥� Jackson said after her victory in the 500 meters.
It was for an inline skating champion from balmy Ocala, Florida, who traded her wheels for blades in order to chase an improbable Olympic dream.
But it meant so much more than that.
Jackson's skin color makes her an anomaly at the speedskating oval. She joined fellow American Shani Davis as the only Black athletes to win long-track medals at the Olympics.
鈥淚 just hope that it will do something for the sport,鈥� Jackson said. 鈥淗opefully, more people will see this and be like, 鈥極hhh, maybe I should try some of these winter sports.鈥�"
was among those lauding Jackson's groundbreaking victory.
鈥淐ongratulations @ErinJackson480!!鈥� Davis wrote on Twitter. 鈥淵ou are a superior athlete!!鈥�
Back in Florida, Jackson's longtime inline coach, Renee Hildebrand, at an early-morning watch party thrown by one of her roller sport sponsors, Bont.
Hildebrand, too, hopes that Jackson's victory will bring some much-needed diversity to skating 鈥� no matter if it's wheels or blades.
鈥淪he's such a fantastic role model,鈥� Hildebrand said in a telephone interview. 鈥淢aybe little girls and little boys who are not all about roller skating or ice skating will see her and say, 鈥楬ey, people my color are there. She looks like me.鈥欌��
The coach noted the impressive accomplishments of Davis, who won two golds and two silvers at the Olympics, and now Jackson.
鈥淭here's not a lot of African Americans in speedskating, but the ones who are have been are really, really good,鈥� Hildebrand said. 鈥淚f others will come, they'll be good.鈥�
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.
Jackson鈥檚 gold came after she and shockingly finished third, putting her spot on the Olympic team in jeopardy.
But teammate Brittany Bowe, another Ocala skater who finished first at the trials, gave up her spot in the 500 to ensure Jackson would get to compete in Beijing.
鈥淪he made a really big sacrifice for me,鈥� Jackson said. 鈥淚鈥檒l be grateful to her forever.鈥�
As it turned out, the Americans received a third slot in the 500 when the final allocations were made, so Bowe got to skate as well. She finished 16th.
The two close friends embraced after Jackson clinched the gold.
鈥淪he hugged me and we cried,鈥� the winner said. 鈥淪he said she鈥檚 really proud of me and I said a lot of thank-yous.鈥�
Jackson skated in the next-to-last of 15 pairs with the time of 37.12 鈥� set about a half-hour earlier in the fourth pairing by Japan's Miho Takagi 鈥� in her sights.
She didn鈥檛 think at all about that slip at the U.S. trials.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not something to really focus on,鈥� Jackson said. 鈥淭hat was a fluke.鈥�
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.
That was the margin at the end, too.
鈥淲hen it comes to the 500, it's a matter of hundredths and sometimes thousandths of a second,鈥� said Ryan Shimabukuro, Jackson's coach when she's on ice. 鈥淚 knew she had the speed and it was going to come down to the opener. When I saw she opened in 10.3, which is pretty much the fastest she's ever done, I knew we had a chance for the gold.鈥�
Jackson kept up her speed through the first turn, down the crossing straight and on through the final turn, even though every stride brought more and more pain. Both arms were swinging furiously as she came down the final straightaway of speedskating鈥檚 shortest race.
As soon as her skates crossed the line, Jackson鈥檚 head turned toward the scoreboard.
She broke into a big smile when she saw the 鈥�1鈥� beside her name, her time a scant 0.08 faster than Takagi's. Shimabukuro pumped his arms and slapped hands with Jackson as she glided by.
There was still one pair left to skate, but Jackson knew she could do no worse than bronze.
A few minutes later, the gold was hers.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e an Olympic champion,鈥� Shimabukuro told her.
Jackson sat on the padding along the infield, shedding a few tears with her head bowed.
She was no doubt reflecting, as well, on her remarkable journey.
Making the switch from inline to ice just months before the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, Jackson was such a fast study 鈥� she does, after all, have an engineering degree from the University of Florida 鈥� that she earned a spot on the U.S. team. She finished 24th in the 500, but it was clear that she had barely tapped into her potential.
During the current World Cup season, as one of the world鈥檚 best sprinters. She won four of eight 500 races 鈥� the first Black woman to earn one of those titles, as well 鈥� and came to the Olympics as the favorite.
鈥淲hen I won the first World Cup, I was like, 鈥極K that鈥檚 strange. Let鈥檚 see where it goes,鈥欌�� Jackson recalled. 鈥淭hen I won another and I was like, 鈥榃ell, maybe I can do this.鈥欌��
She lived up to the billing in Beijing, becoming the first American woman to win an individual speedskating medal since 2002.
鈥淲ords cannot explain how proud I am of her,鈥� Bowe said. 鈥淚 knew she had the chance to do something really special, and she just showed the world why she deserved to be here.鈥�
Jackson grabbed an American flag and did a victory lap around the Ice Ribbon oval, the stars and stripes fluttering above her head.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a wild ride,鈥� she said, 鈥渂ut that makes it even sweeter.鈥�
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Paul Newberry, The Associated Press
