Olympic Champion Erin Jackson Preps for Milan With Joy First

Olympic gold medalist Erin Jackson is training for the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics this month with a secret weapon that has nothing to do with physical strength: she's decided winning doesn't define her worth.

The 33-year-old speed skater, who claimed gold in the women's 500-meter at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, is gearing up for competition running February 6-22 with 13 World Championship medals already behind her. But her primary goal remains simple: have fun on the ice.

"You got to love what you're doing so it doesn't feel like a job," Jackson says. That philosophy doesn't mean she's slacking off—she's just training smarter.

This year brings new challenges for Jackson. She's competing in both the 500-meter and 1000-meter races, the latter requiring more strength and endurance than her usual sprint. She qualified for the longer distance just ahead of teammate Brittany Bowe at Olympic trials in January.

Meanwhile, three herniated discs in her lower back have forced Jackson to rethink her training. She's replaced some explosive movements with jogging and elliptical work, leading to a slower race opener than she's used to. She's also overhauled her diet to reduce inflammation and finally established consistent sleep habits after a USOPC sleep study last summer.

The mental shift matters most. Jackson doesn't spiral after a bad race—she analyzes what went wrong and moves forward. She credits this healthy perspective to her unconventional path to the sport.

Jackson wasn't a childhood athlete focused solely on competition. She was a self-described nerd who prioritized school and didn't even start ice skating until after graduating from the University of Florida with a materials engineering degree. Sports were just for fun.

Why This Inspires

That love of learning never stopped. While training in Salt Lake City, Jackson picked up an associate's degree in computer science and is currently working on two more in kinesiology and business. Her dream is to combine all her knowledge into biomechanics and prosthetics design, inspired by the Paralympic athletes she's met through competition.

When she's not on the ice or in class, Jackson finds her happy place at home with her two cats, two dogs, and her dad, who moved to Salt Lake City to be closer to her.

As the Milan games approach, Jackson is excited for her teammates to experience the full Olympic energy that COVID restrictions dampened in Beijing. And win or lose, she'll have three more degrees to work on when she gets home.