Gator Grad to be Team USA Flag Bearer at Winter Olympics

Florida will be represented at this year's Winter Olympics with a Gator grad set to represent Team USA as the Flag bearer.

Erin Jackson (USA) celebrates winning the gold medal during the medals ceremony for the women's speed skating 500m at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at Beijing Medals Plaza. | Rob Schumacher-Imagn Images

Ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics, a University of Florida graduate is set to take center stage as Team USA's flag bearer for Thursday's Opening Ceremony.

Speed skater and Olympic gold medalist Erin Jackson will lead Team USA out during the Opening Ceremony at the event, held in Milano Cortina. Jackson, 33, went to Florida and graduated cum laude with a bachelor's degree from the Materials Science & Engineering program.

Go Gators! 🐊 https://t.co/Hv3Ffz1UaI

— FLORIDA (@UF) February 3, 2026

Jackson will compete in two speed skating events in this year's games: the 500 meters and the 1,000 meters. She previously won he first and only Olympic gold medal to date at the 2022 Games in the 500 meters, becoming the first Black American woman to medal in speed skating at the Olympic, the first American woman to win gold in an Olympic speed skating event since 2002 and first American woman to win gold in the 500 meters since 1994.

She won with a time of 37.04 seconds, 0.08 seconds ahead of the rest of the field.

That finish, however, was almost not meant to be after Jackson fell during the U.S. Trials. She ultimately failed to qualify for the Olympics. However, teammate Brittany Bowe gave up her spot to Jackson, and Jackson took advatage with her first Olympic medal.

Last month, Jackson qualified for the 1,000 meters with a time of 1:14.63 at the 2026 Olympic Team Trials in Milwaukee, Wisc. after already clinching a spot in 500 meters ahead of the trials.

Jackson is set to begin competition on Monday for the prelims of the 1,000-meter before competing in the 500-meter prelims on Feb. 15. The 2026 Olympic Games in Milano Cortina began on Tuesday ahead of Thursday's opening ceremony.