Various out LGBTQ athletes did well at the ISU Figure Skating World Championships
Paul Poirier, along with ice dance partner Piper Gilles, scored a silver medal at Worlds over the weekend. They’ve earned top-10 finishes at the last two Winter Olympics, and in the last few years they’ve been racking up gold and silver medals.
Poirier came out publicly as gay with a couple other figure skaters in 2021. He hasn’t been shy about his gay relationship on social media.
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Poirier and Gilles were two spots ahead of Lewis Gibson and Lilah Fear, who represent Great Britain. Gibson came out publicly as gay a couple years ago, shortly ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics.
U.S. figure skating champion Amber Glenn recorded a 10th-place finish in the women’s singles competition. Glenn is an out bi figure skater competing for the United States. She had finished 12th last year.
She was also only the second American woman to land a triple axel at Worlds.
Jason Brown finished fifth in the men’s singles competition. Team USA won a couple golds, and Brown overcame doubts just to compete at the Championships. He had been fourth after the short program, but he was leapfrogged by Adam Siao Him Fa of France, who had seemingly an epic free skate, which is the bulk of the points.
It was Brown’s second-best finish at Worlds, after a fourth-place finish almost a decade ago.
He received a standing ovation after his beautiful free skate.
Overall it was a solid outing for Team LGBTQ, with many of these athletes now aiming for a medal at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
