Brittany Bowe and Erin Jackson are more than just teammates on the US speed skating team. The two skaters have known each other for nearly 20 years and fully expected to compete in the Beijing Olympics (February 4-20). A project that seemed to have fallen through on Friday.
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Favorite in the 500m, Erin Jackson (29) slipped Friday during the American selections in Milwaukee and took third place, non-qualifying for the Olympics, behind Bowe and Kimi Goetz. A star on the Wisconsin ice, Bowe had also won the 1,000m and 1,500m.
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Jackson will play his second Olympics
But instead of competing in three events in China, the 33-year-old skater will only play two after giving up her qualification in the 500m to offer it, in turn, to Jackson. ” After her slide, I told myself that if it was up to me, she could take my place Bowe told NBC Sports.
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Called on the ice Sunday for the family photo of the skaters and qualified skaters, the three-time American champion decided to make her decision official by inviting Jackson to the photoshoot. This will participate in its second Olympics. In 2018, she took 24th place in the 500m in Pyeongchang.
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« Erin (Jackson) deserved his place in this event. She is number 1 in the world and no one deserves a chance to bring a medal back to Team USA more than she does. Bowe added. Jackson thanked his teammate and friend for her gesture: ” It’s hard to find the words. I am so grateful. I’ve known her for a long time, when we grew up in Ocala (in Florida, their city of birth). She has always been there for me. »
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