A University of Florida alumnus received the highest honor an athlete can get. Not only is speed skater Erin Jackson representing the United States of America on the 2026 Olympic roster, but she also had the honor of representing the United States as the flag bearer during the opening ceremonies on Friday.
Congrats to Florida #Gators alumnus and speed skater Erin Jackson on representing the United States as flag bearer during the opening ceremony of #Olympics2026.Erin in 2022 became the first Black woman to win an individual gold medal at the Winter Games. pic.twitter.com/3rExGNAuEO
— OnlyGators.com: Florida Gators news (@onlygators) February 7, 2026
This will be the third Olympics that the Ocala native has been a part of (2018, 2022, 2026), and the 33-year old didn’t start skating until she was 24 (just nine years ago). She won her first gold medal in the 2022 Winter Olympics, becoming the first black woman to do so in the history of the sport.
Along with her three appearances in the Winter Olympics, Jackson has been the Speedskating World Championships three times (2019, 2020, 2023). She placed second in the team spring in 2023, along with placing 5th in the 500-meter sprint…