Out American speed skater Brittany Bowe has scored her first individual Olympic medal after winning bronze in the women’s 1,000 meter on Thursday.
The three-time Olympian, who already has a bronze medal from a team pursuit in the 2018 Winter Games, finished third behind the Netherlands’ Jutta Leerdam, who took silver, and Japan’s Miho Takagi, who set an Olympic record with her gold-medal performance.
Although Bowe is a three-time world champion and current world record-holder, an individual Olympic medal had eluded her since her Olympic debut in Sochi in 2014.
“Looking up today and seeing a third-place finish, for a second it’s like, ‘Ah, shoot,’ I wanted to win that gold medal,’’ Bowe told reporters after her event. “But just taking a moment and a deep breath, [I’m] completely honored to bring home this bronze medal to the United States tonight.”
Bowe made news at the Olympic trials in January when she gave up her spot in the 500 meter, one of three events she’d qualified for, to teammate Erin Jackson. Jackson, ranked top in the world in the 500, had slipped during her race, finishing third overall.
Jackson ended up taking gold in the 500 in Beijing, becoming the first Black woman to medal in speed skating. Bowe was also able to compete in the 500, after the U.S. was given a third slot in the competition.
Of Team USA’s victories, Bowe said, “We have a lot to celebrate.”
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