Speedskaters 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 speedskating gold when she did it at the 2022 Olympics, entered the Olympics as one of half the flag bearers during the opening ceremonies. Though she didn’t come away with a medal at these Games, she held her head high throughout each speedskating event.Stolz walked away from the Milan Cortina Games with three medals. He won golds in the 500- and 1,000-meter races and a silver in the 1,500-meter race.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMBoth Team USA stars partnered with Hershey’s for its happiness as “the real gold” campaign before the Games began. Jackson and Stolz both received Hershey’s chocolate gold medals and were a 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 Fox News Digital how she kept that in mind while trying to keep a competitive edge against the best speedskaters in the world.”I think one thing that 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 around 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.ALYSA LIU’S SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWING SURGES AFTER WINTER OLYMPICS GOLD MEDAL, SURPASSING EILEEN GU”Skating was primarily a hobby for me. I grew up just 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 nice bonus, to get to travel the world and do this for a living. I’m gonna have a good time out there no matter what and I feel like that gives me a bit of calm going into these events and just knowing that, no matter what, everything’s gonna be OK. Winning is awesome, but losing, it always gives you something to learn and kind of apply for next time.”Jackson shared what she learned from her experience this time around, given that she went home without a medal.”I think this one taught me a lot about resilience and bouncing back. I mean, these past few seasons have been a little bit tough for me with some injuries. I’ve been dealing with and then this one, specifically, I lost a big chunk of my season being out with injuries,” she told Fox News Digital. “It’s taught me I can still kind of fight my way back after all of 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.”OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST BREANNA STEWART REFLECTS ON ‘PRIDE AND PASSION’ SHOWN BY TEAM USA IN MILANFor Stolz, the support of his family to get to this point meant a lot to him. They were showcased in Hershey’s campaign.He said the campaign was “really authentic and genuine” toward him and
American speedskaters Erin Jackson, Jordan Stolz reflect on Winter Olympics, patriotism
