Figure skater Timothy LeDuc warms our hearts both on and off the ice
A post shared by U.S. Figure Skating (@usfigureskating)If you don’t know who Timothy LeDuc is, then allow us in break the ice: In February, skating alongside partner Ashley Cain-Gribble, LeDuc made history when they become the first-ever out nonbinary person to compete in the 2022 Winter Olympics.However, that’s not the only thing the U.S.
figure skater, who is openly gay and uses they/them pronouns, wants to be known for. “My hope is that when people see my story, it isn’t focused on me and saying, ‘Oh, Timothy is the first out non-binary person to achieve this level of success in sport,’” they told NBCSports in February. “My hope is that the narrative shifts more to, ‘Queer people can be open and successful in sports.’ We’ve always been here, we’ve always been a part of sports.
We just haven’t always been able to be open.”For LeDuc, they know none of their success would be possible without the help of others, they said.“I know that me being here – and being able to be out now – is only possible because of the many great people who came before me.
I stand on the shoulders of so many amazing queer people that have pushed their way through this sport, allowing me to be open now.” A post shared by Ashley Cain OLY (@icegirlash)An Iowa native, LeDuc didn’t start ice skating until they were 13-years-old, according to Travel & Leisure.
