Lewis Gibson will represent Team Great Britain at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing with ice dancing partner Lilah Fear. Now he’s talking with the media for the first time about his husband and being gay.
Gibson joined Outsports’ Five Rings To Rule Them All podcast this week to talk about being a gay athlete and representing his country. He said now “the timing is just right” for his first media interview about representing Team LGBTQ.
“I’ve seen so many people who have gone before me and just living their truth and being so authentic when they perform int heir sport an really just wanting that for myself as well,” said Gibson, specifically citing French medal favorite Guillaume Cizeron as an inspiration, as well as Adam Rippon and Robin Cousins.
Specifically, Gibson remembers watching Rippon during a Finlandia Trophy competition ahead of the 2018 Winter Olympics, seeing his skate on the ice and being in an elevator with him holding court.
“There was such an energy, a charisma about him that you cannot stop watching him,” Gibson remembered. “He just lights up the place. And I love that he’s owning everything he wants and who he is.”
Gibson said he feels his public “coming out” was two years ago when he decided to post a Valentine’s Day photo with his then-boyfriend, now-husband, Joshua Walsh.
In turn, Walsh — himself an avid dodgeball player — has also posted a couple pics with Gibson.
Still, no one in the media had picked up on it until Jon Holmes at Sky Sports reached out to Gibson, and then Outsports did the same.
Being a part of an opposite-sex ice dancing pair entered into Gibson’s mind when he thought about coming out publicly. As a judged sport, he couldn’t be sure how being gay would be perceived by judges.
“I just think, could this be a detriment to my skating? And I thought, I can’t live never sharing who I am and sharing who I love. And I’m really glad, as time has progressed, I’m doing things like this and embracing this side of me more.”
Regardless of his sexual orientation, he insists that he and his ice dancing partner have a special connection on the ice. When they select their music, they make sure it’s something that resonates with them and their goal of entertaining the audience.
“I think that what Lila and i have that’s so special is our bond and our true love for each other as friends,” Gibson said. “It’s not this stereotypical romantic woman-and-man scenario that’s special about a performance. It’s really a connection you see on the ice. Couples like Gabbi and Guillaume, they transcend every time they perform because they have an amazing bond, an amazing chemistry.”
Currently ranked 6th in the ISU World Rankings, the duo has a legitimate shot at a medal in Beijing. They finished 5th at the European Figure Skating Championships earlier this month.
You can listen to the conversation with Olympian Lewis Gibson on the Five Rings To Rule Them All podcast on Megaphone, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple podcasts and many more platforms. Just search for Outsports wherever you get your podcast.
And be sure to follow Five Rings To Rule Them All on Twitter.
You can follow Lewis Gibson on Instagram and on Twitter.
