Outsports Male Athlete of the Year: Eric Radford

Talk about going out with a bang.

Canadian pairs figure skater Eric Radford won a gold and bronze medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics along with skating partner Meagan Duhamel. This goes along with the silver medal Radford won in 2014.

He did it all as an openly gay athlete, one of 15 at the 2018 Games and one of four out men. He is the first out Winter Olympian to win a gold medal. For these reasons, Radford is Outsports 2018 Male Athlete of the Year.

“This is amazing! I literally feel like I might explode with pride,” Radford wrote on Twitter after he and Duhamel helped Canada win the team gold. He also posted a photo along with openly gay U.S. skater Adam Rippon, who won a bronze in the same event.

We love that Radford is celebrating being a successful out athlete and not downplaying the historic nature. This is shown in these two beautiful images he posted earlier this year on Instagram.

Now retired from competitive skating, Radford is pursuing a new passion: music. Also in 2019, Radford is planning a wedding with his partner, Spanish skater Luis Fenero.

This year’s runners-up for the male athlete award are trans wrestler Mack Beggs, who won two state titles and is now a collegiate wrestler; trans hockey player Harrison Browne, who helped his team win a NWHL title; and football player Wyatt Pertuset, who became the first openly gay college player to score a touchdown.

Previous winners

2017 — Rower Robbie Manson

2016 — Boxer Orlando Cruz

2015 — Figure skater Eric Radford

2014 — Soccer player Robbie Rogers

Outsports has divided year-end Athlete and Hero awards to highlight accomplishments of people across genders. We understand that not everyone fits into the binary gender world currently established in sports, and we will honor that with additional awards when appropriate.