An Olympic gold medalist from Ocala just earned another gold medal in a different style of sport at this year’s Pan American Games.
Erin Jackson wins gold at 2023 Pan Am Games
Erin Jackson, 31, claimed victory in the women’s 500-meter inline speed skating event at the XIX Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile this morning. Jackson was awarded her medal during a ceremony held at 12:30 p.m. local time (10:30 a.m. EST.).
Erin Jackson receiving her gold medal during Santiago 2023 (Photo: Pan Am Sports Channel)
On Sunday, Jackson skated in a qualifying event at 7 a.m. local time (5 a.m. EST), finishing with a time of 46.643 seconds. Jackson then participated in a semifinal race just over an hour later at 8:10 a.m. local time (6:10 a.m. EST), qualifying for the final with a time of 45.838 seconds.
During her final race, which took place at 9:15 a.m. local time (7:15 a.m. EST), Jackson turned in her best performance of the day with a winning time of 45.518.
Erin Jackson wins gold at 2023 Pan Am Games (Photo: Pan Am Sports Channel)Although Jackson, who trains out of Utah, claimed a gold medal in speed ice-skating during the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, the victory at the Pan Am Games came on the track. According to the athlete, the approach she takes to both types of skating is similar, with some adjustments.
“I don’t train on my inlines a whole lot. I just kind of stay in shape for my ice skating,” said Jackson in an interview with Team USA that was published before the games. “I spend the practice days at the inline competitions just getting used to inlining again. But it’s not normally too tricky of a process.”
In addition to her gold medal victory in the 500-meter race, on Saturday, Jackson also claimed a bronze medal in the women’s 200-meter speed skating race with a time of 18.909 seconds.
With the victories, Jackson adds to an impressive list of accomplishments that she has tallied throughout her career.
Those accomplishments don’t stop at hardware, either. Earlier this year, the athlete was immortalized with a bobblehead by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, who sought to recognize Jackson’s historic accomplishment as the first Black woman to win an individual gold medal at the Winter Olympics.
For more information on the results from this year’s games, visit the 2023 Pan American Games online.
