Adam Rippon, a 28-year-old figure skater, will be the first openly gay man to compete for the United States in the Winter Olympics.
Despite a disappointing fourth-place performance at the U.S. figure skating championships Saturday night, Rippon was selected to join Nathan Chen and Vincent Zhou in Pyeongchang next month.
"I'm really grateful that the selection committee looked at my body of work over the last two seasons," Rippon told reporters on Sunday.
The committee's decision wasn't without controversy. Rippon's selection edged out Ross Miner, who placed second in the national championship. U.S. Figure Skating President Sam Auxier said the athletes' track records in international competitions were a deciding factor.
But for Rippon, who was the U.S. national champion in 2016, the road to Pyeongchang has been a long one. This year will be the 28-year-old's Olympic debut — more than 80 years since an American man his age competed as a rookie, according to The Washington Post.
"I don't really care what other people think of me. I'm able to go out there and I'm really able to be unabashedly myself," he said. "I want somebody who's young, who's struggling, who's not sure if it's OK if they are themselves to know that it's OK."
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