The 2022 U.S. Long Track Speedskating Olympic Trials took place January 5th through 9th, 2022, in Milwaukee, WI. The Winter Olympic Games will take place in Beijing, China, from February 4th to the 20th, 2022. Olympic speedskating hopefuls from across the country gathered with intentions to book a ticket to Beijing, including Erin Jackson ranked number one in the world at the 500m distance.
Qualifying for Team USA is difficult with strict rules set by the International Olympic Committee. Countries can only bring up to nine skaters per gender. To do this, they must meet the maximum quota in qualifying and qualify for the team pursuit. Otherwise, countries may take a maximum of seven athletes per gender. The only country to qualify for the maximum quota is speedskating powerhouse the Netherlands. The Netherlands qualified the maximum for both men and women.
The U.S. women did not qualify at the 5000m distance or the team pursuit event. They qualified for a quota of nine race slots among the remaining distances. The top finishers in those distances then could qualify up to seven total athletes, with athletes able to qualify in multiple events. Based on race results, four women initially filled the nine slots.
Although ranked number one in the world at the 500m distance, Erin Jackson finished third in both the 500m and 1000m races. While some other countries, such as the Netherlands, can send three athletes at those distances, the U.S. only qualified for a quota of two. Even though she won four of eight World Cup races at the distance this season, a slip in the 500m race almost cost her a ticket to Beijing.
Due to the kindness of teammate and friend Brittany Bowe, Jackson will compete in Beijing after all. Bowe qualified with the top time at the U.S. trials in the 500m, 1000m, and 1500m distances. Later, Bowe decided to yield her spot in the 500m race to allow Jackson to compete. This brings the U.S. women delegation up to five athletes. If Jackson finished below the third or the U.S. already had its maximum seven athletes, Bowe would not have been able to make this gesture.
Jackson met Bowe nearly 20 years ago at the age of 10. They knew each other growing up as inline skaters in Ocala, Florida. Since then, the pair became longtime teammates and friends. After qualifying for the 2018 Winter Olympics, Jackson became the first Black American woman named to the U.S. Long Track Speedskating Olympic Team. She made history again recently as the first Black woman to win a Speedskating World Cup. Jackson is now the gold medal favorite at 500m in 2022.
Other women to qualify for the Team USA Long Track delegation include Kimi Goetz in the 500m and 1000m, Giorgia Birkeland in the Mass Start, and Mia Kilburg-Manganello in the 1500m, 3000m, and Mass Start.
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