The fastest female ice skater in the world just did what she does best and claimed gold at the first race of the international speed skating season in Japan on Saturday.
Erin Jackson claimed gold in the 500-meter race at this year’s International Skating Union Four Continents Championships, which took place in Hachinohe City, Japan, on Saturday, November 16.
Jackson, who is from Ocala and trains out of Utah, finished her race with a time of 38.16 seconds, beating out second place Kurumi Inagawa of Japan by a tenth of a second. Third place went to Kim Min Sun of Korea, who finished just 0.04 seconds behind Inagawa.
In a statement to ISU, Jackson said she was excited for the season ahead.
“It’s just the first race of the season, everyone’s going to be shaking off some rust. I will just be excited to see what the rest of the world brings for the World Cups,” said Jackson.
To read Jackson’s complete remarks, or to read about this year’s event, visit the International Skating Union’s Four Continents Championships results webpage.
Since Jackson claimed gold at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing nearly two years ago, the skater has been on a dominant run, both on ice and land.
The skater earned multiple World Cup gold medals through the 2024 speed ice skating season and last year, Jackson claimed multiple medals at the Pan American Games for inline speed skating events that were held on the track and not on the ice, including a gold medal in the women’s 500-meter race.
The ISU World Cup Speed Skating series has hosted annual skating competitions comprised of multiple events and races since 1984. Skaters earn points at each competition and, at the end of the year, the skater who has accumulated the most points in a given distance is crowned the World Cup winner in that distance.
During the 2023-2024 ISU season, Jackson finished atop all other competitors with 52 points in the Women’s 500 meters.
For more information on the skater, or to follow her story, visit Erin Jackson online, or follow her on Facebook, Instagram, or X.