Jackson headed to Olympics after Bowe gives up 500 spot
Erin Jackson is heading to the Beijing Olympics thanks to Brittany Bowe.
Bowe has given up her spot in the 500 meters, allowing Jackson — ranked No. 1 in the world in the 500 — to make the U.S. team, according to a report on USA Network. Jackson slipped in her race Friday in Milwaukee and finished third in the event she has dominated this season.
Bowe won the 500 and Kimi Goetz took second, putting them on the team. The rules didn’t allow for Jackson to have a re-skate — only a mechanical failure or a fall are reason for a do-over.
In November in Poland, Jackson became the first Black woman to win a World Cup event. She won four of eight 500 races on the World Cup circuit, along with a second and third.
Bowe and Jackson are friends from the same hometown of Ocala, Florida.
Jackson will be making her second Olympic appearance, having finished 24th in the 500 in 2018, not long after she switched from online skating to the ice.
Three-time Olympian Bowe will compete in the 1,000 and 1,500 in Beijing.
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