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Erin Jackson

United States

SportSpeed Skating
FederationIDSSUSA21909199201
NOCUnited States
Born19 Sep 1992 in  Ocala, FL
GenderWomen
ResidenceOcala, FL, USA
Higher educationEngineering, Materials Science - University of Florida: Gainesville, FL, USA
OccupationAthlete
LanguagesEnglish
Personal Bests
EventRecordDateLocation 
Personal Bests
  Event RecordDateLocation 
    500m 36.80 03 Dec 2021 Salt Lake City, UT  
    1000m 1:14.35 26 Jan 2024 Salt Lake City, UT  
    1500m 2:01.57 21 Oct 2022 Salt Lake City, UT  
Main Achievements
 
Main Achievements
Olympic Games
Event  
Olympic Games
    500m 1      
World Single Distances Championships
Event  
World Single Distances Championships
    Team Sprint   2    
General Interest
General Interest
HobbiesWatching television, travel, bowling. (teamusa.org, 21 Dec 2020; burnitalldownpod.com, 08 Feb 2018)  
Other sportsShe competed in roller derby for the Ocala Cannibals and Jacksonville RollerGirls in the United States of America. She has also competed in roller speed skating at international level, winning gold in the one lap sprint at the 2022 World Skate Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (SportsDeskOnline, 17 Jan 2018; olympics.nbcsports.com, 05 Jan 2018; Instagram profile, 04 Nov 2022)  
Sport Specific Information
Sport Specific Information
Reason for choosing this sportA keen roller skater, she began inline skating after her mother met inline speed skating coach Renee Hildebrand. "My mum said, 'Oh, my daughter loves to skate', and so she invited me to a party at the skating rink. I did a little race in my figure skates and joined the team from there." She switched to the ice because she wanted to compete at the Olympic Winter Games. "Inline skating is not an Olympic sport."  
General Interest
General Interest
Awards and honoursShe received the 2022 Eric Heiden Athlete of the Year award from US Speedskating. (teamusa.org, 01 Apr 2022)

In 2022 she was inducted into the Black History Museum of Marion County's Hall of Fame in Ocala, FL, United States of America. (ocala.com, 26 Mar 2022)

In 2022 she was named Olympic Female Athlete of the Year at the State Sports Awards in Utah, United States of America. (Instagram profile, 18 Apr 2022)

She was named the United States Olympic Committee [USOC] Female Athlete of the Year for Roller Sports in 2012, 2013 and 2015. (Athlete Website, 08 Jan 2018)
 
Sport Specific Information
Sport Specific Information
Name of coachRyan Shimabukuro [national], USA  
When and where did you begin this sport?She began roller skating at age eight and first tried speed skating in 2017 at the Utah Olympic Oval in the United States of America.  
General Interest
General Interest
NicknamesMs Jax'em (Facebook profile, 12 Jan 2021)  
Sporting philosophy / motto"Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence." [Vince Lombardi] (Athlete, 16 Nov 2019)  
Other informationSECOND CHANCE
She finished third in the 500m at the 2022 US Olympic Trials in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, after slipping during the race, and missed out on the two qualification berths available. However, her teammate Brittany Bowe, who won the event at the US Trials, ceded her place to Jackson, claiming she had a greater chance of winning gold in the event at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. Both Jackson and Bowe were ultimately able to skate in the 500m in Beijing after the US were granted an extra qualification spot. Jackson went on to win gold in the 500m, while Bowe placed 16th. "I was expecting to win the Olympic Trials. So then to have that misstep was kind of devastating, you know, because I was looking forward to having a good race. I'm incredibly grateful and humbled by the kindness of Brittany in helping me to secure a chance at reaching my goals. She's an amazing friend, teammate, and mentor and this is an act I'll never forget. I've known that Britt was an amazing person for years. It's hard to imagine if someone would give up an Olympic spot for you. So just seeing that and just really kind of being reaffirmed in my thoughts of her for all these years that like the bond is there and it's awesome." (olympics.com, 28 Jan 2022; Instagram profile, 10 Jan 2022)

ROLE MODEL
She hopes to help increase racial diversity in speed skating by being a role model in the sport. "I realise people kind of look to people who look like them, in terms of what they feel like they can do, so when people watch the Olympic Winter Games and roller derby and other forms of skating, they might not see a lot of people of colour out there. I'm looking forward to being one of those people that other young kids and people of colour can look to and say, 'Hey, she's out there doing it so we have some representation'." (burnitalldownpod.com, 08 Feb 2018)

FURTHER EDUCATION
In addition to a bachelor's degree in materials science and engineering at the University of Florida, she has studied for associate's degrees in computer science and exercise science at Salt Lake Community College in Utah, United States of America. Her associate's degree studies were facilitated by a partnership between US Speed Skating and Salt Lake Community College that allows athletes to take tuition-free classes. "Maybe going to school is a hobby for me. When I first moved here [Salt Lake City] I wasn't going to school and I felt like I had a whole lot of free time. I felt like I wasn't being very productive, so when the programme became available I started taking classes again. I feel more productive when I have more to do. If I don't have enough on my plate then I do nothing, so I try to find the balance where it's enough to keep me busy but not interfering with my training. Plus I just really like learning." (teamusa.org, 21 Dec 2020)

QUICK RESULTS
She qualified for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games having only taken up speed skating in September 2017 as part of the International Skating Union [ISU] Development Transition Program. The scheme aims to help athletes from other sports, such as ice hockey and inline skating, adapt to speed skating. "I really wasn't expecting any of this, just coming in as a newbie, just trying to do the best I can. I was coming into the Olympic trials just hoping to get some experience and see where I am after the time I've had on the ice. It was definitely a goal of mine to be on Team USA. I just didn't see it happening this quickly." (cosmopolitan.com, 11 Jan 2018)
 
Social Media
Social Media
erin-jackson.net  
www.facebook.com/ErinJackson480  
twitter.com/ErinJackson480  
General Interest
General Interest
Memorable sporting achievementWinning gold in the 500m at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. (Instagram profile, 13 Feb 2022)  
Most influential person in careerInline speed skating coach Renee Hildebrand, and her father. (Athlete, 16 Nov 2019)  
InjuriesIn March 2023 she underwent surgery to remove 16 fibroids [non-cancerous growths] from her uterus. (Instagram profile, 18 Mar 2023)

In January 2021 she sustained corneal abrasion, retinal whitening, whiplash of the eye and hyphema [bleeding in the eye] after a bungee cord hook snapped back and became lodged in her eye. After examination by three doctors, it was expected that her vision would not be impacted long-term. She postponed travelling to the Netherlands ahead of the 2021 World Championships in Heerenveen, but was back on the ice two weeks after the accident. (Instagram profile, 04 Jan 2021, 20 Jan 2021)

In 2019 she sustained three herniated discs and was out of action for two months. (Athlete, 16 Nov 2019)
 
Hero / IdolUS speed skater Brittany Bowe. (Athlete, 16 Nov 2019)  
AmbitionsTo win gold at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina. (tmj4.com, 30 Sep 2022)  
Sport Specific Information
Sport Specific Information
Training RegimeShe trains at the Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns, UT, United States of America.  
Championships results
Year Competition Event Rank  
Championships results
    2023/2024 Four Continents Championships 500m1  
    2022 Olympic Games 500m1  
    2023/2024 World Single Distances Championships Team Sprint2  
    2022/2023 World Single Distances Championships Team Sprint2  
    2023/2024 World Single Distances Championships 500m5  
    2022/2023 World Single Distances Championships 500m5  
    2019/2020 World Single Distances Championships 500m7  
    2023/2024 World Sprint Championships Overall7  
    2022/2023 World Single Distances Championships 1000m9  
    2023/2024 World Single Distances Championships 1000m15  
    2018/2019 World Single Distances Championships 500m15  
    2018 Olympic Games 500m24  
World Cups
Year Competition Event Rank  
World Cups
    2023/2024 World Cup Classification 500m1  
    2021/2022 World Cup Classification 500m1  
    2023/2024 Stavanger Team Sprint1  
    2022/2023 Tomaszów Mazowiecki Team Sprint1  
    2022/2023 Calgary, AB Team Sprint1  
    2021/2022 Heerenveen 500m1  
    2021/2022 Heerenveen 500m1  
    2023/2024 Tomaszów Mazowiecki 500m1  
    2021/2022 Stavanger 500m1  
    2023/2024 Salt Lake City, UT 500m1  
    2023/2024 Beijing 500m1  
    2021/2022 Tomaszów Mazowiecki 500m1  
    2023/2024 Beijing 500m1  
    2021/2022 Salt Lake City, UT 500m1  
    2021/2022 Tomaszów Mazowiecki 500m1  
    2023/2024 Stavanger 500m2  
    2023/2024 Obihiro 500m2  
    2021/2022 Stavanger 500m2  
    2022/2023 World Cup Classification 500m3  
    2022/2023 Heerenveen Team Sprint3  
    2022/2023 Calgary, AB 500m3  
    2023/2024 Quebec, QC 500m3  
    2021/2022 Calgary, AB 500m3  
    2018/2019 World Cup Classification 500m14  
    2023/2024 World Cup Classification 1000m15  
    2022/2023 World Cup Classification 1000m19  
    2019/2020 World Cup Classification 500m22  
    2021/2022 World Cup Classification 1000m41  
    2018/2019 World Cup Classification 1000m44