After being named one of Team USA’s flag bearers, Erin Jackson arrived at the 2026 Winter Olympics with one last goal in mind: defending her 500-meter speed skating title! Everyone almost expected her to shine. After all, she made history in Beijing 2022 as the first Black woman to win individual gold. But this time, things didn’t go as planned.

On February 15, at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium in Milan, Italy, Jackson raced in the women’s 500 m long-track event at the Milano Cortina Games. She finished fifth, clocking 37.32 seconds, which put her just outside medal contention. However, the gold went to Femke Kok of the Netherlands, who set a new Olympic record of 36.49 seconds and had been unbeaten at this distance coming into the Games.

Silver went to her teammate Jutta Leerdam (37.15 seconds), and Miho Takagi of Japan took bronze with 37.27 seconds. But at the same time, Jackson was only 0.05 seconds away from a medal. But to some extent, many had seen this coming.

Even before the race one fan noticed something unusual while Jackson was walking in her clap skates: “Did anyone see the metal parts that came out of nowhere when Erin Jackson was walking?” It wasn’t clear what exactly had happened, but it added an extra layer of tension to her day. But wait, that wasn’t the only challenge she faced!

Her road to Milan hadn’t been easy at all, hampered by health challenges. At the third stop back in December 2025, a hamstring injury sidelined her, forcing scratches in both races.

News served to you like never before!

Prefer us on Google, To get latest news on feed

Prefer Us on Google

She raced conservatively afterward to protect her body for the Olympics. Even so, she closed out as world No. 3 in the distance, powered by three medals (two silver, one bronze) from her four pre-injury starts.

Not to mention, Erin Jackson has battled chronic lower back pain from three herniated discs for years now. Those nagging issues forced her to dial back training loads and skate extra carefully at times. Yet she powered through, staying among the world’s elite sprinters and locking her Olympic spot. This season, the back trouble demanded even bigger changes. She jumped into aqua jogging to keep her fitness sharp without wrecking her spine.

“It’s been a battle back and forth with figuring out different ways to train and different treatments,” Jackson told Olympics.com. “Over the summer, I did a few modifications. I got into a lot of aqua jogging.”

“It looks kind of ridiculous, but it’s just like running in the pool. You basically wear a floaty around your waist, and you just run. You get all the kids and people who are doing real stuff in the pool just kind of staring at us! But it’s a really good way to get that intensity without putting strain on the back.”

Before the Olympic race, Erin knew she “would need to have a really clean race” to be in medal contention. On that day, she gave everything she had, but the medal still eluded her. Even though she missed the podium, she can never be forgotten for the history she has made.

Erin Jackson’s resilience and passion knows no bounds

Even after finishing just outside the medals in 2026, Erin isn’t slowing down. She told NBC News she plans to keep racing, aiming for the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps:

“I can’t imagine stopping now, especially with the progress I made this season. The last two or so years before this year were pretty rough for me. To be able to come back from that, I can’t imagine stopping with this momentum going right now.”

She’s certainly proved her caliber over the years. At the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Erin Jackson won gold in the women’s 500 m speed skating, becoming the first Black woman to win an individual Olympic gold at a Winter Games. She crossed the finish line in 37.04 seconds, not just winning a medal but breaking barriers in a sport where few Black athletes have ever reached the top.

Being the first American woman to win a 500 m gold since Bonnie Blair in 1994 and the first to win any speed skating gold since 2002. But what makes Jackson’s story even better is where it began.

Growing up in Ocala, Florida, with no ice rinks nearby, Erin Jackson started on inline skates for 15 years and only switched to ice speed skating in 2017. Six years later, she stood at the very top of her sport. Her victory ended a long U.S medal drought and inspired countless young athletes. But at the same time, her achievements go far beyond a single race.

She holds the American record in the 500 m at 36.09 seconds (set November 15, 2025, at the Utah Olympic Oval during World Cup 2) and has won medals at World Championships, multiple Four Continents golds, and Pan American Games medals (gold in 500m + distance 2023 Santiago, silver in 500m 2015 Toronto). Even with injuries and chronic back pain, she has remained among the best.

This may not have been her moment, but Erin Jackson has proven time and again she can stage a comeback. What do you think? Will she rise above and claim more medals down the line? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.