Following their qualifying win with Ashley Cain-Gribble at the US ice skating pairs championships, Timothy LeDuc will become the first non-binary athlete competing at the Winter Olympics. Both Timothy and Ashley have been outspoken about their wishes that viewers interest isn’t limited to this groundbreaking moment, but acknowledge it’s an important step:
"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,'" LeDuc said during a news conference Saturday, Jan 7th, according to NBC Sports.
"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."
Read more about skating champions Timothy and Ashley via CNN here and follow Outsports coverage of LGBTQ+ athletes heading to Beijing from around the world here.