USA’s Erin Jackson becomes first Black woman to win individual Winter Olympic gold!
Erin Jackson won a gold medal in the 500-meter speed skating event, becoming the first Black woman to ever win a gold medal in speed skating. She is also the first American to win the race since 1994. Jackson said that the exhilarating feelings from that moment have not gone away yet.
Growing up in Ocala, Florida, ice skating is not common, and Jackson had not even stepped on an ice rink until 2016. It did not take long for Jackson to adjust and skate her way to the top—competing in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
"It's never too late to start your impossible. It might seem kind of impossible but you just have to put the work in," Jackson told "CBS Mornings."
It has been 20 years since American bobsledder Vonetta Flowers became the first Black and African-American athlete to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics. Jackson now follows her in the record books and says she hopes to see more continue on the same path.
"I just hope it isn't 20 years for the next one," she said.
Pressure is something that shapes Jackson and other Olympic athletes. During the Games, the world sees some of the competitors' proudest and lowest career moments — and Jackson said that pressure creates a bond.
"I think it is really important that we all support each other and I am just really lucky to have a really awesome crew behind me, like my coaches and teammates, it's just been amazing," Jackson said.
“Hopefully, this has an effect,” Jackson said. “Hopefully, we’ll see more minorities, especially in the USA, getting out and trying these winter sports. I just hope to be a good example.”
