Conor McDermott-Mostowy is now the first out gay male speedskater ever to compete in the Olympics.
The 27-year-old U.S. athlete made history at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Wednesday as the first gay man to compete in the men’s 1000 meter skating event. (Speedskaters race for the fastest time to travel distances generally ranging from 400 to 10,000 meters.) Though McDermott-Mostowy got off to a slow start and did not make it to the podium, finishing ninth overall, he wrote on Instagram shortly beforehand that simply making it to the race was “the greatest honor of my life.”
“Regardless of my results today, I feel an abundance of pride,” McDermott-Mostowy wrote ahead of his race on the social media platform, where he refers to himself as the “Secretary of Skate,” on Wednesday. “I am so proud of myself for getting here after missing the team four years ago. I’m proud to be the first [and] only openly gay man in Speedskating and the only one on Team USA this year. I’m proud to be a part of the best team in the world, Team USA!”
McDermott-Mostowy came out in 2021, immediately after winning multiple titles at that year’s U.S. National Championships. “I don’t want to talk about being gay, because there’s a stereotype that gay guys aren’t athletic, and I don’t want that to be held against me or used to justify a bad result,” he told Out at the time. “I’ve been uncomfortable with that […] but I feel like at this point, no one can say anything.”
Lundholm says that he has “always been treated well” within the skiing world.
At least 47 LGBTQ+ athletes from 13 countries are participating in the 2026 Winter Olympics, a new record according to Outsports.
Click here to learn more about Conor McDermott-Mostowy…
(Source: Them.us)
