Maame Biney out of Winter Olympics

U.S. speedskater Maame Biney finished last in her 1,500-meter shorttrack heat last Saturday, ending her trailblazing run at the Winter Olympics.

The 18-year-old Biney is the first black woman on the U.S. Olympic short-track team ― and indeed the first black woman to make either TeamU SA Olympic speedskating squad.

She qualified for the games before longtrack racer Erin Jackson, who is also black.

“I am super honored to be able to be part of this, because I know that us African-American girls and women haven’t been able to be in this situation before,” Biney told HuffPost before the Pyeongchang Games.

“I’m really honored to inspire other women, African- American or any other race, to get out there and do
what you can and succeed.”

Last Saturday, Biney briefly took the lead early in the race but then faded out of contention.