Culture

Winter Olympics 2018: Out skaters Ireen Wüst and Brittany Bowe have just won medals

Feb 21 2018
Written by Josh Jackman

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Bisexual speed skater Ireen Wüst has won her third medal of the Winter Olympics after taking silver in the final of the Team Pursuit.

The Dutch athlete made it 11 Olympic medals in all, as she added to the record she broke earlier these Games by winning gold in the 1500m race.

GANGNEUNG, SOUTH KOREA - FEBRUARY 12: Ireen Wust of The Netherlands reacts after winning the gold medal during the Ladies 1,500m Long Track Speed Skating final on day three of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at Gangneung Oval on February 12, 2018 in Gangneung, South Korea. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

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Team USA skater Brittany Bowe also broke new ground by winning her first ever Olympic medal, as she took bronze in the same event.

Bowe, who is dating Dutch speed skater Manon Kamminga, was left with a medal from her first Olympics since coming out.

GANGNEUNG, SOUTH KOREA - FEBRUARY 18: Brittany Bowe of the United States competes during the Ladies' 500m Individual Speed Skating Final on day nine of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at Gangneung Oval on February 18, 2018 in Gangneung, South Korea. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

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But despite earning a silver medal, 31-year-old Wüst was left disappointed after her Netherlands team suffered a shock defeat.

Japan took gold with an Olympic record time to dethrone Wüst and her teammates, who claimed first place at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

(L-R) Netherlands' Ireen Wust, Netherlands' Marrit Leenstra, Netherlands' Lotte van Beek and Netherlands' Antoinette De Jong react after the women's team pursuit final A speed skating event during the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at the Gangneung Oval in Gangneung on February 21, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / ARIS MESSINIS (Photo credit should read ARIS MESSINIS/AFP/Getty Images)

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Wüst, a six-time world champion and the youngest ever Dutch athlete to win an event at the Olympics, can find consolation in her amazing haul of five gold medals.

Canadian skater Eric Radford last week became the first openly gay man to win gold at a Winter Olympics.

He then proceeded to win a bronze medal – and promptly announced his retirement.

(Twitter/rad85e)

Gay skater Adam Rippon also made Olympic history last week, by taking a bronze medal after performing a solo skate to Coldplay’s O and Arrival of the Birds by Cinematic Orchestra.

He has been embroiled in an ongoing spat with Vice President Mike Pence, who is leading the US delegation in Pyeongchang.

Adam Rippon of the United States (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Rippon challenged the Vice President’s concerning stances on LGBT equality, then suggested he would not meet with Pence.

US freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy has also made a name for himself during the Pyeongchang Games.

He didn’t win a medal, but the 26-year-old’s kiss with boyfriend Matthew Wilkas caused a flood of acclaim and celebration on social media.

(Twitter/90sKidMutant)

It was just a peck on the lips, but the fact that it took place on NBC, live on primetime network TV, in front of tens of millions internationally, made it historic.

Kenworthy said: “That’s something that I wanted at the last Olympics was to share a kiss with my boyfriend at the bottom and it was something that I was too scared to do for myself.

“And so to be able to do that, to give him a kiss, to have that affection broadcasted for the world is incredible.”