{"id":452987,"date":"2026-02-06T18:48:25","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T18:48:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/452987\/"},"modified":"2026-02-06T18:48:25","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T18:48:25","slug":"olympic-speedskaters-brittany-bowe-and-erin-jackson-both-from-ocala-are-old-friends-and-linked-by-2022-gold-orlando-sentinel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/452987\/","title":{"rendered":"Olympic speedskaters Brittany Bowe and Erin Jackson, both from Ocala, are old friends and linked by 2022 gold \u2013 Orlando Sentinel"},"content":{"rendered":"

By HOWARD FENDRICH<\/p>\n

MILAN\u00a0 \u2014 When Brittany Bowe and Erin Jackson<\/a> take to the ice at the Milan Cortina Olympics<\/a> for the women\u2019s 1,000 meters in speedskating<\/a> on Monday, they\u2019ll be competing as individuals representing the U.S. and trying to beat each other in hopes of earning another medal for their collections.<\/p>\n

They also will share a unique bond. Well, several bonds. They\u2019re friends who met two decades ago. They both grew up in Ocala. They started with inline skating before switching sports. And, perhaps most meaningfully, they\u2019re teammates forever linked by what happened four years ago when one (Bowe) offered a spot in the 500 meters at the Beijing Games to the other (Jackson), who went on to collect gold in that event.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be a small part of that puzzle was an honor, to say the least. I truly believe that everything happens for a reason, and people come into your life for different reasons,\u201d Bowe said in an interview with The Associated Press. \u201cWe\u2019ve been able to share our story with a lot of people. Seeing \u2026 how much it touches other people is priceless.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is the fourth \u2014 and, she says, final \u2014 Olympics for Bowe, a two-time bronze medalist; she\u2019ll turn 38 on Feb. 24. Before speedskating, Bowe played on the FAU basketball team and ended up graduating back in 2010.<\/p>\n

Jackson, 33, is at her third Games and will defend her 500 title<\/a> on Feb. 15.<\/p>\n

Jackson calls Bowe \u201can amazing mentor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bowe, who holds the world record in the 1,000, says Jackson \u201creally inspires me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Neither is likely to forget what transpired at the U.S. trials in Milwaukee in 2022.<\/p>\n

Jackson was the world\u2019s best in the 500 at that point and considered a lock to go to the Olympics at that distance. Still, she needed to officially earn that at the trials. In a surprise, Jackson slipped and, although she kept going, finished with the third-best time, meaning she did not manage to qualify for one of the two 500 slots on the American team.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe wouldn\u2019t have been at the Olympics at all, potentially,\u201d U.S. Speedskating coach Ryan Shimabukuro said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it happened, I\u2019m running through scenarios in my head: \u2018How do we navigate this?\u2019\u201d Shimabukuro remembered. \u201c\u2019EJ\u2019 took full accountability. She didn\u2019t say, \u2018Oh, the selection process is ridiculous. This is stupid.\u2019 That shows what kind of character she has.\u201d<\/p>\n

And Bowe, who won the race at the trials, demonstrated the sort of person she is by giving up her place in the Olympic 500 to Jackson (although later, the U.S. got a third berth, which allowed Bowe to participate in that sprint in China, too).<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was obviously upset, and I went up to her and gave her a hug,\u201d Bowe said. \u201cIn my opinion \u2014 and, I would argue, in everyone\u2019s opinion \u2014 she was the most deserving to start in that event at the Olympic Games. There was no doubt in my mind that I would do whatever it took to give her that spot, even if that meant relinquishing my spot. That was just the clear and obvious choice for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the locker room after the 500 in Milwaukee, Bowe approached Jackson to console her \u2014 and to tell her what she\u2019d decided to do.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was really heartbroken for me,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cShe said if there\u2019s anything that she could do to get me on the team, she was going to do it. \u2026 We went together to the racing officials and told them what we were going to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

All this time later, Shimabukuro choked on his words and dabbed at his eyes as he discussed the choice Bowe made.<\/p>\n

\u201cI still get emotional thinking about it. There\u2019s not too many athletes that would do that, even if the reasoning is sound,\u201d Shimabukuro said. \u201cI just told her how proud I was of her. \u2026 That\u2019s what makes people great. She\u2019s a great athlete. She\u2019s a great skater. But it\u2019s stuff like that that makes her who she is.\u201d<\/p>\n

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