Jake Adicoff becomes first out gay man to win individual Winter Paralympic gold
American cross-country skier Jake Adicoff has made history at the Milan-Cortina Games by becoming the first out gay man to win an individual Winter Paralympic gold medal.
The 30-year-old secured his momentous milestone by triumphing in the men’s sprint classic on Tuesday.
He followed that success just 24 hours later by dominating the 10km classic interval start, finishing nearly two minutes ahead of the field.
With two victories already secured, the visually impaired athlete is halfway towards his ambitious target of four titles in Italy.
Paving the way for LGBTQ+ athletes
Adicoff is one of only a small number of openly gay competitors participating at these Winter Games.
The Idaho native highlighted the scarcity of LGBTQ+ representation at the elite levels of competition.
“The higher you get in sport, the less out people that you see,” Adicoff told Outsports.
“And I think going to the Paralympics, being a gay athlete there, showing that it’s possible to reach this upper echelon of sport as an out athlete and as a Para-athlete, that’s super important to me.”
Seizing a golden opportunity
The American has competed in four consecutive Paralympics, making his debut as a high school student at Sochi in 2014.
He briefly retired after taking silver behind Canadian legend Brian McKeever at Pyeongchang 2018, before returning to claim team relay gold and two more individual silvers at Beijing 2022.
Following the retirement of 16-time champion McKeever, the visually impaired division was left wide open for a new dominant force.
The Sun Valley skier seized his chance emphatically, stringing together World Cup and World Championship victories before arriving in Cortina.
Bolstered by family support
Unlike the restricted Beijing Games, athletes in Italy are competing in front of enthusiastic crowds of friends and family.
The champion’s supporters have made their presence felt at the Tesero Cross-Country Centre, waving giant cut-outs of his face alongside guides Reid Goble and Peter Wolter.
“To have so many people that came out and supported us and are going to continue to support us throughout the week… it’s so nice having friends and family here,” he said.
He will have another chance to celebrate with his entourage in Saturday’s 4×2.5km mixed relay before tackling the gruelling 20km event on Sunday.
