My Weekend (Olympic Medalists) Crush

This year has already been the most rainbow-filled Olympics yet, with demonstrative queerness across the Games as athletes get loud and proud. It’s also the largest contingent of out LGBTQ+ athletes, which is now at 182 and counting. It should be noted some 164 of those are female or nonbinary athletes competing on women’s teams, so while lesbians and other queer woman are doing their part for visibility, the fellas still have a little ways to go. (Not you, Tom Daley and your knitted sweaters. You’re doing great, keep up the good gay work.)

Honestly, there are so many exceptional queer female athletes to keep track of in Tokyo this year, I simply can’t list them all like in the bad old closeted Olympics days. So instead I’ve gotten selective. So these are your out queer female (and non-binary) medal winners. It’s truly exciting to see the progress in visibility out LGBTQ athletes have made since I started watching the Games as a young girl. Indeed the days of only nudge-wink knowing about certain athletes is close (though not entirely, I see you Sam Kerr and gal pal Kristie Mewis) to being over.

While certain sports are still deciding their medalists (we see you women’s basketball, field hockey, handball & soccer who are handing out hardware after my bedtime/this post publishes). I’ll update through the weekend with additional winners. They’re here, they’re queer, and they’re packing serious hardware. No, not like that. I mean, at least that wasn’t what I was referring to. AHEM.

3X3 BASKETBALL

Stefanie Dolson, USA, Gold

ARCHERY

Lucilla Boari, Italy, Bronze (Individual)

BASKETBALL [ETA]

Diana Taurasi (12) & Sue Bird (6), USA, Gold

Breanna Stewart (10), Brittney Griner (15), Chelsea Gray (8), USA, Gold

BMX FREESTYLE

Hannah Roberts, USA, Silver

BOXING

Kellie Harrington, Ireland, Gold [ETA]

(left in red)

Nesthy Petecio, Philippines, Silver (Featherweight)

FENCING

Astrid Guyart, France, Silver (Women’s Team Foil)

(second from left)

FIELD HOCKEY [ETA]

Anne Veenendaal, Netherlands, Gold

(center)

Leah Wilkinson & Sarah Jones, Britain, Bronze

(yes, they’re a couple)

Susannah Townsend, Britain, Bronze

HANDBALL [ETA]

Alexandra Lacrabère, France, Gold

Amandine Leynaud, France, Gold

(left getting smooched)

JUDO

Amandine Buchard, France, Gold (Mixed team), Siver (52kg)

Jasmin Grabowski, Germany, Bronze (Mixed Team)

Raz Hershko, Israel, Bronze (Mixed Team) [ETA]

Sanne van Dijke, Netherlands, Bronze (70kg)

ROWING

Emma Twigg, New Zealand, Gold (Single Sculls)

Katarzyna Zillmann, Poland, Silver (Quadruple Sculls)

(last on right)

RUGBY

Kelly Brazier & Gayle Broughton, New Zealand, Gold

Portia Woodman & Ruby Tui, New Zealand, Gold

SAILING

Jolanta Ogar, Poland, Silver (Women's 470)

(front in pair)

SOCCER

Kadeisha Buchanan, Canada, Gold [ETA]

Stephanie Labbé, Canada, Gold [ETA]

Erin McLeod & Kailen Sherida, Canada, Gold [ETA]

Quinn, Canada, Gold [ETA]

(first trans non-binary medalist/Gold medalist in Olympic history)

Caroline Seger, Sweden, Silver [ETA]

Magda Eriksson, Sweden, Silver [ETA]

Lina Hurtig, Sweden, Silver [ETA]

Hedvig Lindahl, Sweden, Silver [ETA]

Tierna Davidson, USA, Bronze

Adrianna Franch, USA, Bronze

Kelley O’Hara, USA, Bronze

Megan Rapinoe, USA, Bronze

SOFTBALL

Ally Carda & Amanda Chidester, USA, Silver

Haylie McCleney, USA, Silver

Larissa Franklin, Canada, Bronze

Joey Lye, Canada, Bronze

(last on left)

SWIMMING

Ana Marcela Cunha, Brazil, Gold (10km)

Erica Sulliva, USA, Silver (1500m freestyle)

(left of Ledecky)

TRACK & FIELD

Yulimar Rojas, Venezuela, Gold (Triple Jump)

Raven Saunders, USA, Silver (Shot Put)

VOLLEYBALL [ETA]

Ana Carolina, Brazil, Silver

Free drinks at any lesbian bars these medalists roll up to for life, amirite? Go Team Rainbow! Happy Gold, Silver and Bronze weekend, all.

p.s. Well, now that the Tokyo Games are officially in the history books, here is a look at Team Rainbow by the numbers. The female and non-binary out queer athletes at these Games won 23 golds, 16, silvers and 13 bronzes, making for a grand total of 52 medals. That puts LGBTQ+ female or non-binary athletes at 52 total medals, placing them solidly in No. 6 in the medal counts by country, between the Athletes Formerly Known as Russia and Australia. Like I was saying, free beers forever, Olympic medalists. Next round is on us.

p.p.s. This is a reminder, young queers everywhere, that we live in a world where a five-time Olympic gold medalist and her gold-and-bronze Olympic medalist fiancee celebrated their success by kissing on national television and it was beautiful and for a moment nothing hurt.