Andrew Blaser makes U.S. Olympic history as the first out gay man in this super fast ice sport

Andrew Blaser
Photo: YouTube screenshot

Andrew Blaser, 32, has made history as the first out gay man to win a spot representing the United States in the winter Olympic sport of skeleton. Skeleton involves a single person riding a small sled (lying face down and head-first) at quick speeds along a frozen track.

Blaser will be the only man on the U.S. skeleton team at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. He will also be part of a record number of out LGBTQ athletes competing in China, a country whose government largely opposes LGBTQ rights.

Related: International Olympic Committee releases “groundbreaking” new framework for trans athletes

While studying at the University of Idaho, Blaser originally competed as a track-and-field athlete in pole vaulting and hurdles. He is currently ranked 28th worldwide among male skeleton athletes, but he initially hated the sport, according to the Team USA website.

He preferred bobsledding, but his coaches said his body was better suited to skeleton. The sport requires speed and slenderness, which befits his 6’4″ height and 189-pound weight.

Blaser first spoke to the media about being gay…

Read full story, and more, from Source: Andrew Blaser makes U.S. Olympic history as the first out gay man in this super fast ice sport

Share

About Gay Today

Editor of Gay Today