This figure skater could become the first out non-binary athlete to compete in the Winter Olympics

American figure skater Timothy LeDuc could become the first out non-binary person to compete at the Winter Olympics in a historic milestone for LGBTQ+ representation.

With hopes of securing one of two Olympic spots for American pairs teams, LeDuc and their longtime skating partner, Ashley Cain-Gribble, set a record at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships on Thursday, according to NBC Sports. The team scored 79.39 points in the short program, coming in first and beating last year’s record by two points.

The U.S. Figure Skating Championships is the last chance that figure skaters have to impress the Olympic selection committee, which determines who will compete on Team USA at the 2022 Winter Olympics to be held in Beijing in February. The Olympic team will be announced on Sunday, and if they advance, LeDuc would make history as the first out non-binary person to participate in the Winter Games.  

LeDuc, who will compete alongside Cain-Gribble in Saturday’s free skate category, said they aren’t letting the pressure get to them.

“It’s really easy sometimes to get caught… in the mindset of ‘it’s the Olympics, it’s my legacy,’ but when you switch it over to ‘it’s just what I do at home everyday,’ suddenly it’s easier,” LeDuc told NBC Sports after the pair’s short program. 

While LeDuc’s inclusion would be a first for the Winter portion of the Olympics, last year’s Summer Olympics in Tokyo broke major barriers, with several trans and non-binary athletes competing. As a member of Canada’s national team, soccer star Quinn became the first openly trans athlete to compete on the Olympic stage. Following their team’s win against Sweden in the final, they also became the first trans athlete to win a gold medal. 

Other milestones included New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard, who became the first out trans woman to compete in the Olympics. American non-binary skateboarder Alana Smith, who was repeatedly misgendered on air, competed in women’s street, while BMX freestyler Chelsea Wolfe, a trans woman, traveled to Japan as an alternate for Team USA.

Overall, a record-breaking number of out LGBTQ+ athletes participated in the Summer Games. According to the LGBTQ+ sports news site Outsports, there were at least 186 participants, more than triple the number of participants in the 2016 Rio Games.

With next month’s Winter Olympics also expected to break records for LGBTQ+ inclusion, it wouldn’t be the first time LeDuc has been a part of history. They were the first openly queer athlete to win gold in the 2019 U.S. Figure Skating Championship, competing in the pairs event with Cain-Gribble. 

LeDuc being an out athlete at the elite level has nonetheless presented its share of challenges. In a recent interview, LeDuc said that it can be “complicated navigating a gendered sport” as someone who “really thrives outside of the binary.” 

“There are going to be the people that don’t understand it,” LeDuc told the podcast My New Favorite Olympian earlier this month. “They look at me and see I have a beard or they look at me and maybe see my physical characteristics and say, ‘You’re a boy, act like a boy. What are you doing?’”

Throughout their figure skating career, LeDuc says they “couldn’t hide” their identity. LeDuc remembers a female skater refused to share the ice with them after a tryout because she viewed their queerness as a “liability.” In another incident, LeDuc’s coach pulled them aside before a performance and told them: “Timothy, go out and show them how masculine you are. That’s how you will win.” 

It wasn’t until 2016, when LeDuc first teamed up with Cain-Gribble, that they found an ice skating partner who fully embraced them as a queer person. 

LeDuc hopes to create a more inclusive environment in the ice skating world by combatting the homophobia and outdated gender norms they have encountered throughout their career. They are currently participating in a mentorship program through the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s Athlete Advisory Council to make things easier for the next generation of queer and trans figure skaters.

“We are now trying to pass on that information to the young and up-and-coming skaters, so that they can be even better athletes, so that they can have even better experiences in the sport and maybe they can avoid some of the obstacles that we all faced in the sport,” they said.