USA's Erin Jackson celebrates winning the Women's Speed Skating 500m event, on Day 9 of Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. Daniel A. Anderson/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
Erin Jackson of the United States confirmed her favourite status with the 500-metre speed skating gold medal at the Beijing Olympic Winter Games to complete a remarkable fairytale journey in the sport.
Jackson, 29, only switched to the ice from inline skating five years ago but triumphed in 37.04 seconds around the National Speed Skating Oval with Japan's Miho Takagi taking silver 8 hundredths back, as she did in the 1,500m.
Angelina Golikova of the Russian Olympic Committee took bronze a further 9 hundredths behind having narrowly missed the lead held by Takagi since pair four in the 13th duo to take the ice.
Jackson then snatched top spot in the penultimate pair and had little time to wait before she could celebrate a famous victory which makes her the first black woman to medal in Olympic speedskating.
It is also the first women's speed skating gold not won in Beijing by the Netherlands, who dominate the sport but are vulnerable over the shortest distance.
In men's pursuit, the 2018 winners Norway were faster in the quarter-finals but South Korea were eliminated after taking silver at their home Pyeongchang Games four years ago.
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