Brittany Bowe has reasons to celebrate after she earned her first-ever individual speed skating medal at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing on Thursday morning.
After finishing in 10th and 16th place in her previous two events, the Ocala native headed into the 1,000-meter event as one of the favorites to win the gold medal. On March 9, 2019, in Salt Lake City, Utah, Bowe set the 1,000-meter world record (1:11.61), a record that still holds today.
Prior to Bowe taking the ice on Thursday, Japan speed skater Miho Takagi set a new Olympic record (1:13.19). The previous record (1:13.56) was set by the Netherland’s Jorien ter Mors during the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.
When it was Bowe’s turn to compete, she got off to a blistering start. At the 200-meter checkpoint, she was on pace with Takagi (17.60 seconds).
By the time Bowe reached the 600-meter checkpoint, she had fallen nearly a half-second behind Takagi’s pace.
When Bowe crossed the finish line, she finished with a time of 1:14.61. She edged out the Russian Olympic Committee’s Angelina Golikova by one-tenth of a second to win the bronze medal.
Bowe joins fellow Ocala residents Erin Jackson and Joey Mantia who also earned medals in Beijing.
Mantia, who earned a bronze medal during Tuesday’s team pursuit event, wraps up his experience in Beijing with the mass start event on Saturday at 2 a.m. ET.
To view a complete schedule of upcoming events, along with results, visit the 2022 Olympic Winter Games website.