Openly gay curler John Epping wins bronze medal at Canadian championships

John Epping, a curler who came out publicly as gay last year, had an impressive run in the Tim Hortons Brier Canadian curling championships, finishing in the semifinals and winning a bronze medal.

Epping and his team lost in the semifinals to a team led by Brendan Bottcher. The overall title was won by Brad Gushue for the second consecutive year. It was the first appearance in the national championships for Epping, whose team won the bronze medal and will split $42,000.

“This was unbelievable. It was so memorable. For me, it was a really special first Brier,” Epping said.

Epping has been out to his family, friends and the curling community for about five years and discussed being gay publicly last year.

In June, he married his husband, Thomas Shipton. As you can see in the photo at the top, the two grooms were greeted on their wedding day by people wielding curling brooms, a nice touch.