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Speed skaters Erin Jackson and Jordan Stolz proudly represented Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics last month.
Jackson, who was the first black woman to win speed skating gold when she did so at the 2022 Olympics, attended the Olympics as one half of the flag bearers during the opening ceremonies. Although she didn’t come away with a medal at these Games, she held her head high during each speed skating event.
Stolz walked away from the Milan Cortina Games with three medals. He won gold in the 500- and 1,000-meter races and a silver in the 1,500-meter race.
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Erin Jackson of the United States raises an American flag after winning the gold medal in the speed skating women’s 500 meters at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, file)
Both Team USA stars partnered with Hershey’s for their happiness as “the real gold” campaign before the Games began. Jackson and Stolz both received Hershey’s chocolate gold medals and were part of commercials during the Olympics.
Jackson said in one of the campaign spots that “happiness is definitely more important than winning.” She explained to Pakinomist Digital what was on her mind as she tried to maintain a competitive edge against the best speed skaters in the world.
“I think one thing I’ve always kept in mind and kept in perspective is that winning isn’t everything and losing isn’t the end of the world.” Jackson said. “I think I have more of a laid-back attitude about what I do because I don’t know, maybe because I didn’t grow up as an athlete. I grew up as more of a student.
“Skating was mainly a hobby for me. I grew up doing this for fun. It’s always something I love to do. So all of this, it just feels like a bonus, like a really good bonus, to get to travel the world and make a living from this. I want to have a good time out there no matter what, and I feel like it gives me a little bit of peace going into these events, and it doesn’t matter to win, what’s right. great, but to lose, it always gives you something to learn and kind of apply to the next time.”
Erin Jackson of Team United States of America prepares for practice on day minus four of the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium on February 2, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
Jackson shared what she learned from her experience this time as she went home without a medal.
“I think this one taught me a lot about resiliency and coming back. I mean, the last couple of seasons have been a little bit tough for me with some injuries. I’ve dealt with, and then I’ve specifically lost a lot of my season being out with injuries,” she told Pakinomist Digital. “It’s taught me that I can still fight back after all that. Of course I always want to win a medal, but I’m really happy with how I was able to come back this season and it’s always a learning experience and a growing experience.”
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For Stolz, the support of his family to reach this point meant a lot to him. They were featured in Hershey’s campaign.
He said the campaign was “really authentic and real” to him and his family.
Gold medalist Jordan Stolz of the United States celebrates after the men’s 500-meter speed skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (Ben Curtis/AP Photo)
Stolz opened up about some of the sacrifices his family had to go through for him to even be in contention for a gold medal.
“Yes, they’ve sacrificed a lot,” he told Pakinomist Digital. “Just getting me to the rink and of course funding the speed skating itself. My dad worked third shift and my mom worked during the day. So it’s like, my mom would pick me up from the rink after my dad would drop me off, so it’s a lot of driving back and forth and just a lot of time.
“They put a lot into it, and it’s also like traveling to different competitions and of course the belief that they had that I could be good one day. And that’s what my mom was super optimistic about. My dad was maybe more on the other side of like, hopefully he’ll be really good. And it ended up working out well. And I’m just happy to be able to race ahead of them because of course we got ahead of them, to China. opportunity. And it felt really good to be able to win in front of them and make them proud.”
Above all, both Olympic athletes expressed what it meant to them to represent Team USA on the global stage.
Jordan Stolz celebrates with his gold medal on the podium in the men’s 1,000 meters speed skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, on February 11, 2026. (Luca Bruno/AP Photo)
“It’s an honor. There’s a lot of pride in it,” Jackson said. “I’m looking forward to the Olympics, it’s a really good time that brings everyone together. Everyone can sit in front of their TV and cheer for Team USA and it’s great to be someone they can watch and cheer for and just have a good time for those two weeks. It’s really cool to be a part of that.”
Stolz said he was “super ecstatic” to hear the national anthem as he stood atop the podium and received his gold medal.
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“Well, I was super ecstatic to hear the national anthem when I was on the podium,” he said. “I think that was the best part, just hearing it and supporting your country, right? To me it means a lot. It was the first one I ever heard, I think it was the World Cup, they played it.
“And it just stood out because it’s not another country’s anthem playing, so it makes you feel really good about what you’ve done and also for the country. I was happy to get three medals out of it, so that was super nice.”
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