UF graduate Erin Jackson earlier this month at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Milwaukee. (Photo: Patrick McDermott/USA TODAY Sports)
Carter's Corner: UF Grad Jackson A Favorite To Win Gold At Winter Olympics
Friday, January 21, 2022 | General, Scott Carter
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By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — If the Gators had a speed-skating team, you would have heard of Ocala's Erin Jackson.
She probably would have been a first-team All-American and one of the most decorated athletes on campus based on her accomplishments. Instead, the 2015 University of Florida graduate pursued a different route.
One that has landed her on the cover of Sports Illustrated to preview the upcoming Winter Olympics.
Jackson is the favorite to win the women's 500-meter race in Beijing. As a relative newcomer to the sport in 2018, Jackson finished 24th in the 500 meters at the Pyeongchang Olympics. Now, the 29-year-old Jackson is primed for a shot at gold. She made headlines on her quest earlier this month when she slipped at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Milwaukee.
The slip dropped Jackson to third and out of the qualifying slots. However, U.S. long-track speed skater and teammate Brittany Bowe, a good friend of Jackson's, gave up her spot in the 500 for Jackson. Bowe is qualified in the 1,000 and 1,500 meters.
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Ranked No. 1 in the world in the 500, Jackson is vying to become the first U.S. woman to win gold in the event since Bonnie Blair from 1988-94.
"In my heart there was never a question that I would do whatever it took, if it came down to me, to get Erin to skate the Olympics," Bowe told reporters. "No one is more deserving than her."
Jackson's road toward the Olympics began when she was 8 and started roller skating. She advanced to inline skating, and when she showed promise in that sport, she moved to Utah to begin speed skating.
During her time at UF, Jackson hit the books hard, earning a degree in materials science and engineering.
"She went to the University of Florida, and she never went to a football game," Jackson's cousin, Antoine Jackson, told SI. "Like, what? I would say she's a pretty big nerd."
Maybe that's true. So is this: Jackson is headed to the Olympics as a gold-medal favorite.
