Speed skater Ireen Wust won a silver medal in the 3,000-meter on Saturday, part of a medal sweep by Netherlands in the event.
Wust is the first out LGBTQ athlete to win a medal in these Winter Olympics.
”I just went for it,“ Wust told Reuters after the race. ”I think I had a really strong beginning of the race. I raced for the gold, not for silver or bronze. I went really well, only the last lap was really hard. In the end I was so close but it’s not good enough. I have to be satisfied with the silver, although it hurts a little bit.
You’ve got to be pretty good to say a silver medal in the Olympics is a bit of a disappointment, but Wust was favored by most to win the event. She won gold in the 3,000-meter in Sochi.
Plus, she lost to teammate Carlijn Achtereekte by a mere .08 seconds. Ouch.
Now competing in her fourth Olympic Games, Wust has four Olympic gold medals, four silver medals and a bronze. Those nine medals are the most of any LGBTQ Olympian in history.
You can find complete Winter Olympics 2018 coverage on SB Nation, and Outsports will have the LGBT angle.
