Former FAU basketball player Brittany Bowe has qualified for her fourth consecutive Olympics in speed skating. Bowe will celebrate her 38th birthday during her time in Italy, where she will take part in three events: the 1,000-meter, the 1,500-meter, and the women’s team pursuit.
Bowe is a Florida native who grew up in Ocala. She played team sports and later found a new passion.
Bowe played basketball in high school with her father, Michael Bowe, as her coach. She played for Trinity Catholic, earning the Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year award and being a Bright Futures recipient. Bowe had a successful career in basketball, which led her to playing D1 at FAU.
At the age of eight, Bowe attended a friend’s birthday party at a skating rink. After the party, the inline skating coach, Renee Hidebrand, approached Bowes’ parents after watching her skate around the rink and asked if they had ever heard of inline skating.
She later competed in and won 32 medals at the Inline World Championships.
During this time, Bowe was playing basketball at FAU from 2006-10 under head coach Chancellor Dugan. She started in every game in her last three seasons with the Owls. During her sophomore year, she was the only player to start in every game.
In her senior year, she was named FAU’s most outstanding female athlete. She had eight consecutive games with double-digit scoring and finished the season averaging 12.2 points and 4.7 assists per game.
When asked about her time with her team here at FAU, Bowe expressed, “It was a family, it’s still a family, and I’m forever grateful for that.”
She also managed to join the 1,000-point club with 1,062 points during her time as an Owl.
Bowe transitioned from inline skating to ice speed skating after attending the 2010 Olympics, where she saw many of her inline teammates compete in speed skating.
She quickly made her mark in the sport by qualifying for the 2012 world championships, where she won a silver medal. Bowe made her debut at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, where she placed sixth in the team pursuit, eighth in the 1,000m, 13th in the 2x500m, and 14th in the 1,500m.
Two years later, Bowe suffered a concussion after a collision with her teammate during practice that took her out of competing for more than a year.
Not knowing the extent of her injury, Bowe tried to return to skating after completing the recovery protocols, but soon discovered that her vestibular system had been disrupted, affecting her body’s internal balance and spatial orientation. To Bowe, this could lead to dizziness, vertigo, imbalance, and nausea, making it difficult to see the future of her career.
“Throughout my whole life, I have played a lot of team sports, and it was so appropriate that, you know, it would take a team of people to get me back on my skates, to help me achieve my dream of becoming an Olympic medalist,” shared Bowe.
With time, Bowe returned to speed skating, where she found herself once more at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, where she won bronze in the women’s team pursuit. She also placed fourth in the 1,000m and fifth in the 500m.
Not only was Bowe one of the most successful speed skaters, but she is also known for her character.
During the 2022 Olympic Trials, teammate Erin Jackson was favored to win an Olympic medal in the 500m, but after slipping during her event, she placed third, with only the top two finishers qualifying for the Olympic event. Bowe finished first in the trials and gave up her spot for Jackson because she believed she had what it took. Jackson would go on to win gold at the Beijing Olympics, making her the first Black woman to win a gold medal in an individual winter Olympic event.
Jackson shared, “It was a really big selfless thing for her to do and it’s still kind of hard for me to wrap my brain around, you know, someone making that big of a sacrifice for me, but, just the feeling of her believing in me that much to give up her spot, made me believe in myself even more.”
Bowe still had a very successful Olympic run, earning her second bronze medal in the 1,000m after competing in the 1,500m and 500m.
Bowe is now heading to Italy for her fourth Olympic Games in a month after the trials in Milwaukee, where she has earned a place to compete in the 1,000m, 1,500m, and team pursuit events. Cheering her on were her mother and sister, supporting her as she dominated the 1,500m at the Olympic trials.
“This is my 16th year racing, and she shows up as much as she did on day one,” said Bowe about her mom after the trials.
Bowe will not only have her family in Milan to support her but also her partner, hockey star and Olympic Gold medalist Hilary Knight, who will compete with Team USA in women’s ice hockey. They will both compete in Milan in the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Bowe hopes to earn her first Olympic gold medal during the next games, but she has also been transparent with fans since the Beijing Olympics that this will be her last year competing in the Olympics. Bowe will continue to be a huge part of the sport, and she is excited to have more time to cheer on her partner at games.
Her journey was unique and successful, and Bowe’s character and dedication make her FAU’s finest.
Aldana Jure is a staff writer for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, please email her at [email protected] or contact her on Instagram @jezabeljure.
