The first weekend of the Winter Olympics has already been historic. Three out LGBTQ athletes have already won medals, including the first openly queer men to ever win Winter Olympic medals.
On Saturday, Netherlands speed skater Ireen Wüst became the first out medal-winner at the Pyeongchang Games, earning a silver in the women’s 3,000 meters, losing by .08 seconds after turning the final corner. “I just went for it,” she said after the race. “I think I had a really strong beginning of the race. I raced for the gold, not for silver or bronze.”
Wüst, 31, plans to retire after these Olympics, but she was still gunning for a gold in the 1,500m race on Monday, and sure enough, she won it:
A champion becomes a legend.
Ireen Wust wins her FIFTH OLYMPIC #GOLD MEDAL in the women's 1500m #SpeedSkating Final. #PyeongChang2018 pic.twitter.com/ODYHYPTe8C
— 7Olympics (@7olympics) February 12, 2018
These are her fourth Olympic games and she has now won a total of five gold medals, four silver medals, and a bronze medal, making her the most medaled LGBTQ Olympian in history.
On Sunday, out figure skaters Eric Radford and Adam Ribbon both won medals in the men’s team event.
Radford, a Canadian pairs skater, became the first openly gay athlete to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics. In 2008, Australian diver Matthew Mitcham became the first openly gay athlete to win an Olympic medal.
Radford and his partner Meagan Duhamel finished second in the short program and first in the free skate, helping to bring home the gold for Canada. Radford previously won a silver in 2014, coming out later that same year. He joked that he was the “ultimate pair-boy” because, “I never had to worry about developing an off-ice relationship.”
YES!! #Gold #Olympic #Pyeongchang2018 #TeamCanada #Figureskating #Pride pic.twitter.com/ZiF8Ch92Bd
— Eric Radford (@Rad85E) February 12, 2018
Adam Rippon, the first openly gay U.S. athlete to qualify for the Olympics, also made his debut Sunday. His performance in the free skate won him a bronze medal along with the rest of the U.S. team:
ADAM RIPPON. Because he slays. #WinterOlympics https://t.co/fmMl0C4Amf pic.twitter.com/fkG1KgiTb0
— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) February 12, 2018
In interviews after his skate, Rippon said he was very proud of the team and highly recommended the experience of attending the Olympics:
The #WinterOlympics: highly recommended by @Adaripp pic.twitter.com/SpX3k9vaLG
— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) February 12, 2018
Gus Kenworthy, the U.S.’s other openly gay athlete at the Games, watched Rippon skate and tweeted a photo showing how proud of him he was.
v proud of this guy pic.twitter.com/rlTk6is3Cy
— Gus Kenworthy (@guskenworthy) February 12, 2018
After the skating event, Radford tweeted a photo of him and Rippon and their medals, exclaiming, “So proud to be wearing these medals and showing the world what we can do!”
Many of the other out athletes at the 2018 Olympics have not yet even competed, so there could still be more victories ahead.
