Mark Leduc was not what people expected from an Olympic boxer.

Not only did the 1992 Barcelona silver medallist come into the world weighing only about a kilogram; Leduc was a gay athlete in a profession where homophobia ran deep.

The former light welterweight boxer was expected to fail because he wasn't recognized like other "star" contenders were, said Leduc's brother-in-law, Mark Johnson. "They thought he would be the worst (on the Canadian team), but he knew how to hit people and not get hit."

"If you look [at his life] it's actually consistent. There's a little bit of rebellion, in different ways, across the board," said Mark Tewksbury, gold medal swimmer for Canada at the 1992 Olympics.

"That was part of his character, and it's probably what made him great."

Tewksbury told CBCSports.ca on Friday that he felt a camaraderie with Leduc. Both would go on to speak publicly about being gay and breaking barriers in sport.

Leduc won four bouts at the 1992 Barcelona Games in the 139-lb light welterweight class, including over future pro title-holder Leonard Dorin. Leduc would go on to lose in the final to Hector Vinent of the powerhouse Cuban squad.
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Leduc and Tewksbury would be featured in the documentaries For the Love of the Game and CBC Radio's The Last Closet.

Mark Leduc was gay. Who cares was always my personal opinion on the subject. The only part of Mark that mattered to me was that he was my friend, a man who I respected and admired for not only his skills in the boxing ring, but his work ethic and courage that he relied upon to constantly get through a tough life. I had always heard from people that Mark was gay, but I found that even though many times he had to be outspoken publicly he still kept his personal life close to the vest.

I remember when he opened that part of his life to me to comical results. It was in the fall of 1993 and Mark was working out hard at a dark, dingy basement gym in downtown Toronto with famed local trainer Benny D'Amico preparing for a fight the upcoming week. We were also waiting for the arrival of a CBC crew that was going to shoot a feature story about his upcoming bout, and we went outside to await their arrival. While outside, a great looking, well dressed young couple slowly sauntered by, most likely on their way back to the office after lunch. We both commented about the person's sexiness and attributes. We then gave each other a quick look and cracked up laughing as we realized we were talking about two different bodies of this attractive duo.

wearing short shorts (it was the 70s)

The Globe and Mail posted this profile about Marc Leduc.