Team USA's flag bearer sacrificed her spot in a Beijing event for a teammate before leading her country into the Olympics

• Speedskater Brittany Bowe was chosen to lead Team USA into the Beijing Olympics as a flag bearer.
• Before the games, the three-time Olympian gave up her spot in an event for a higher-ranked teammate.

Speedskater Brittany Bowe has been chosen to represent the United States as one of Team USA's flag bearers for the 2022 Olympic opening ceremony.

But before she even arrived in Beijing for her third Olympics, Bowe showcased herself as the embodiment of "the spirit of the Olympics and being a great teammate."

In an amazing display of selflessness, the 33-year-old offered to give up her spot in one of the three Beijing events she qualified for so that a teammate on Team USA could have her spot.

Erin Jackson — who had won four of the past eight World Cups in the 500-meter race in the lead-up to the Olympics — uncharacteristically slipped during her qualifying event at US Olympic Speed Skating Trials in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, ahead of the games. The error left Jackson losing precious fractions of a second off of her time and falling to third overall.

It appeared as though Jackson would miss out on this year's Winter Olympics.

That's when Bowe stepped up in an astounding way.

The fellow long track speedskater — who won a bronze medal at the 2018 Olympics — somewhat surprisingly finished first in qualifying for the 500-meter race despite specializing in longer races. When Bowe saw that Jackson was not expected to qualify herself, she knew what she had to do.

She called Jackson, and then US Speedskating, to offer up her spot.

"It's just the spirit of the Olympics and being a great teammate," Bowe told NBCSports.com. "And yes, it's bigger than just me. It's Team USA. Erin has a shot to bring home a medal, hopefully, a gold medal, and it's my honor to give her that opportunity."

Only the top two finishers were guaranteed spots in Beijing, though a third American would potentially be eligible to receive a bid later on. Jackson's time would not have been enough to nab that final spot, but Bowe — who also qualified for the 1000- and 1500-meter events — knew she had a shot at it.

Bowe's gamble paid off; both she and Jackson will compete in the 500-meter event in Tokyo. And when she found out Bowe made the cut after all, Jackson was "over the moon," she said.

"Sweet justice for her," Jackson told Insider. "She deserves it."

"With her gesture to me, the world got to see that she is a great leader of our speedskating team, a great person, and a great friend," she added.

"I'm blessed to have someone like that in my life. I'd like the narrative of the story to be less about me, and more about what she did so selflessly for me."

The women's 500-meter medal race is scheduled for Sunday, February 13. Fans can tune in to NBC for coverage of the event.