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In the speed skating community, support and camaraderie are paramount.
Jackson, who was the first Black woman to make a U.S. Olympic long track team in 2018, is currently the No. 1 ranked skater in the 500m race and the gold medal favorite. If Jackson, 29, wins the gold, she would be the first American woman to do so in the 500m event since Bonnie Blair won three straight from 1988-1994.
Short track speed skater Maame Biney, also a top contender in the 500m race, tells PEOPLE that both Bowe and Jackson are “role models” in speed skating.
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“When Erin, unfortunately, slipped — because obviously she was gonna win and everyone knew that. When she slipped, it was just like, ‘Oh my gosh, what’s gonna happen?’ But I had a feeling that Brittany was going to be able to give up her spot,” Biney recalls.
“I felt like she was going to do that because that’s just who she is. She’s going to do what’s best for the team and not necessarily what’s best for her. I think, not like speaking for her in any capacity, but the person and the athlete that she is, is: if my teammate wins, then we all win,” Biney continues.
In December, Biney was named as one of the seven short track skaters who will compete for Team USA in Beijing. (Biney is the only returning member.)
“I was super, super happy that I got it,” she says, recallingthe moment she clinched her spoton the team. “Just because, at that moment, I wanted to prove to myself that I could win, at least like one distance and if it had to be a distance, it had to be the [500m]. I was just super happy about that.”
“I just want to have fun, I want to experience and relish the moments that I get to have with my teammates, and also at the Olympics in general. I know that the Olympics is a very special moment and a very special thing to be a part of. I just want to be able to relish in that and not overthink anything. And just have fun,” she says.
Especially with the support around her, Biney says she’s confident she’ll achieve that.
“I feel pretty good. I feel really light, not like a lot of weight on my shoulders which is super nice,” she notes. “I know that I have a lot of people around me who care for me and want me to do the best that I can and who love me for who I am. I feel the love so I feel very, very happy about that.”
To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, visitTeamUSA.org. Watch the Winter Olympics, beginning Feb 3, and the Paralympics, beginning March 4, on NBC.
source: people.com
