Erin Jackson became the first black woman to make the U.S. Olympic long-track speedskating team during the team trials in Milwaukee.
The 25-year-old from Ocala, Florida, has has been skating on ice for a total of only four months.
“I really wasn’t expecting any of this, just coming in as a newbie, just trying to do the best I can,” Jackson told reporters at the event. “I still don’t even know.”
Jackson will be part of a U.S. Olympic speedskating team that is becoming more diverse. Washington’s Maame Biney recently became the first African-American woman to qualify for the country’s short-track team and they’ll be joined by Chicago’s Shani Davis, the two-time gold medalist who will be competing in his fourth Olympics.
c/o NBC Sport
