Timothy LeDuc Is the First Nonbinary Winter Olympian

After winning their second national title last month, the 31-year-old Team USA figure skater is set to compete with partner Ashley Cain-Gribble at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

“It’s been a really long journey for me, embracing my gender,” LeDuc said, per AP. “I’ve had some amazing people in my life help me through that journey."

However, LeDuc also made it clear that they weren't the focus. Rather, their goal is to show other members of the LGBTQ+ community that there's space for them in competitive sports, explaining, "I hope when people see my story, they aren’t saying, ‘Timothy is the first nonbinary person to achieve this level of success in sports.’"

"It’s that queer people can be open and be in sports," LeDuc continued. "We’ve always been here, we have always been a part of sports. We just haven’t always been able to be open.”

Despite China's crackdown on the LGBTQ+ community, this year's event will feature the highest number of openly LGBTQ+ competitors, with at least 35 athletes from 15 countries at the Games.

The 2022 Winter Olympics begins on Friday, February 4. In the meantime, check out all the stats pertaining to this year's LGBTQ+ representation here.

Photo via Getty / Tim Nwachukwu