Winter Olympics 2018: All the LGBTQ Olympians to watch out for

The 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea will feature 13 openly LGBTQ athletes competing for a variety of countries.

As the games get fully underway, PinkNews brings you the complete list of the out LGBTQ Olympians competing in PyeongChang.

1. Gus Kenworthy

Freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy made headlines after becoming one of two gay US Olympians to hit out at Vice President Mike Pence ahead of the start of the games.

The 26-year-old, who has been at the forefront of the US’s publicity campaign, said that the anti-gay politician’s presence would send a negative message.

This is Kenworthy’s second Winter Olympics, after winning the silver medal in 2014.

The men’s slopestyle skiing will be held on February 18.

2.Emilia Andersson Ramboldt

Ice hockey player Emilia Andersson Ramboldt will be representing Sweden in the women’s ice hockey, which is one of the last events to finish.

This is Ramboldt’s second Olympics, after her performance in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada.

Ramboldt married her wife Anna in 2015 and have a child together.

The Swedish ice hockey team have so far won both of their qualifying rounds, and will next play on February 14.

3.Eric Radford

Eric Radford has become the first ever openly gay man to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics.

The Canadian athlete won gold in the team figure skating event after he and his partner Meagan Duhamel skated magnificently to Adele’s Hometown Glory.

The figure skater came out at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, where he won a silver medal.

4. Ireen Wüst

Bisexual ice skater Ireen Wüst has become the most successful speed skater in Olympic history.

The Dutch speedskater teared up after winning the gold in the Women’s 1500m race, netting her a record-breaking tenth Olympic medal.

This marks Wüst’s fourth Winter Olympics, after winning medals at the 2006, 2010 and 2014 games.

5.Cheryl Maas

Snowboarder Cheryl Maas will be representing the Netherlands in halfpipe snowboarding on February 13.

This marks her third Winter Olympics, and she is the two-time world champion in Ladies halfpipe.

Maas is married to former international snowboarder Stine Brun Kjedlaas, and the pair has two children together.

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6.Jorik Hendrickx

Belgian figure skater Jorik Hendrickx came out last month prior to travelling to South Korea.

The two-time national champion is competing at his second Olympics, in the Men’s single figure skating.

Hendrickx’s event will be held February 17.

7.Sarka Pancochova

Sarka Pancocohva is a snowboarder representing the Czech Republic at her third Winter Olympics.

Although she had represented the Czech Republic at both the 2014 and 2010 competitions, this is her first Olympics after coming out as gay in 2017.

8. Adam Rippon

Adam Rippon gave a spectacular debut performance at this year’s Winter Olympics in South Korea.

The first openly gay man to qualify for the Winter Olympics, Rippon was awarded a score of 172.98, giving team USA an extra eight points.

Rippon won a bronze medal as Canadian skater Patrick Chan took gold.

Speaking about working towards the 2018 games, he said that he had “worked my entire life for this moment”.

9.Daniela Iraschko-Stolz

Daniela Iraschklo-Stolz is an Austrian ski jumper and is competing in her second Olympics.

She came out publicly prior to competing in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, after marrying her wife Isabel in 2013.

Women’s ski jumping runs until February 19.

 10.Barbara Jezeršek

Cross-country skier Barbara Jezeršek is representing Australia in her third Winter Olympics.

During her first two appearances in Vancouver in 2010 and Sochi in 2014 Jezeršek represented Slovinia but became an Australian citizen in 2016.

11. Brittany Bowe

American speed skater Brittany Bowe is representing the United States in her second Olympics, though this is her first Olympic appearance after coming out.

Bowe is currently dating fellow speedskater Manon Kamminga.

12. Belle Brockhoff

Out lesbian snowboarder Belle Brockhoff is representing Australia in her second Olympics and came out shortly before her competition in Sochi in protest of Russia’s harsh anti-LGBT laws.

Speaking to Out.com about her decision to come out publicly in protest, Brockhoff said: “I want to be proud of who I am and be proud of all the work I’ve done to get into the Olympics and not have to deal with this law.”

Brockhoff will compete in the snowboard cross on February 16.

13. Simona Meiler

Swiss snowboarder Simona Meiler is competing in her third Winter Olympics

Meiler was one of the athletes to criticise harsh anti-LGBT laws in Russia prior to her appearance at the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Speaking to SwissInfo before the competition, Meiler said: “As an athlete but also as a human being, I think we need to stop any kind of discrimination in order to unleash our full potential.”

Meiler will also compete in the snowboard cross against Belle Brockhoff on February 16.

The 2018 Winter Olympics will run in PyeongChang until February 25.