New Zealand speed skater reveals engagement at Gay Games
New Zealand speed skater Blake Skjellerup has revealed that he is engaged, a day after carrying the torch at the Gay Games Opening Ceremony.
Mr Skjellerup is currently in Cleveland, Ohio, for the Games, which launched yesterday.
The athelete – who will be competing in tomorrow’s 23 mile cycling circuit road course event – revealed on Twitter that he is engaged to his partner, Saul Carrasco.
He wrote: “Sunset over #Cleveland with my fiancé”.
He told Cleveland that the pair plan to marry in Hawaii next year.
He said previously: “It’s difficult to say at what point [I realised I was gay].
“I realized that I started having feelings for the same sex at the age of 16 and sort of as time went on, I struggled with accepting that.
“The biggest thing was there were no identities for me to relate with, and I felt isolated and alone. As time went by and I matured, had life experiences, I came to accept it more.
“It wasn’t until I was 22 that I actually said to myself that I was gay and accepted it.
“[I didn’t have any role models] through the age of 22, and that was the hardest part; there was just no one I could relate to.
“I was bullied in high school and the insults that were being hurled my way were those typical names.
“I don’t want to say it, but ‘faggot’ and ‘gay’ were what I was being called and that really drove me into isolation.”
