Erin Jackson: Sprinting Back to the Olympic Stage for Milano Cortina 2026

Raised in Ocala, Florida, Erin Jackson grew up on inline skates and roller derby before switching to the ice as an adult which was said to be an unconventional path that supercharged her acceleration and corner pressure for long-track sprinting. Her hometown as Ocala and note she began on wheels before taking to the oval, a late start that makes her rise even more striking. 

At Beijing 2022, Jackson won the women’s 500m, ending a 20-year U.S. women’s drought in the event and becoming the first Black woman to win an individual gold medal at the Winter Olympics. The triumph only happened because teammate Brittany Bowe ceded her Trials spot after Jackson slipped in qualifying, one of the great acts of Olympic sportsmanship. 

Jackson’s post-Olympic seasons proved she wasn’t a one-moment champion. She closed the 2024–25 campaign as the overall World Cup winner in the 500m (her second straight, third overall) and remained a podium force across multiple stops. It wasn’t all smooth: she managed a chronic back issue and, in 2023, underwent surgery to remove 16 fibroids.

For a 500m specialist, lane draw, and opener, efficiency on that surface will be decisive. On the U.S. side, Jackson has been named to the 2025–26 World Cup roster, putting her squarely in the qualification pipeline heading into the Olympic season. The path to defending her title is straightforward. Jackson’s signature is clean power with minimal lap fade: a rocket starter, stacked body position through the straights, and disciplined pressure in the turns. The inline background shows up in how smoothly she carries speed off the opener highlighting why she’s so dangerous in pure sprints and why her best days still set the event’s tone.