Eric Radford may be retired from figure skating, but the gold medalist is still raking in Olympic honors.

The trailblazing athlete, who became the first out gay man to capture Olympic gold at the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang, recently visited the IOC headquarters in Switzerland. There, he signed the Olympians Wall, putting his John Hancock aside the names of other sporting icons

“It was a very Olympic day! Very honoured to sign the Olympians wall at the IOC headquarters here in Lausanne,” Radford posted on Instagram. “What an incredibly beautiful building!”

The Canadian native was gifted with a certificate of honor, cementing himself as one of the greatest out athletes ever. In addition to his Olympic gold, he’s captured silver and bronze, along with 12 gold medals spread across five other competitions: World Championships (2), Four Continents Championships (2), Grand Prix Finals (1) and the Canadian Championships (7). Phew!

Radford publicly came out in December 2014, about 10 months after he made his Olympic debut in Sochi. He won a silver medal with his long-time partner Meagan Duhamel in the short program. Shortly thereafter, they scored personal bests at the 2014 World Championships, winning silver.

And that was just the start of their success. Radford and Duhamel enjoyed an undefeated season in 2014-15, which Radford attributes to his mindset. After coming out, he finally felt free.

“I was out to my friends and family so I was very comfortable around them and comfortable in my own skin, but it translated even more to the ice when I came out publicly, because I had nothing left to hide for anybody else, in the public,” he said in a 2019 interview.

“That season (2014-15), we had an undefeated season. I remember just feeling so free and way more expressful on the ice and more connected to Meagan because I wasn’t pretending to be something that I wasn’t.”

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When Radford returned to the Olympics in 2018, he and Duhamel made history with their gold medal triumph. In a seminal moment, Radford celebrated his gold medal victory with Adam Rippon, who won bronze in the same event.

There wasn’t a single out gay male competitor at the 2014 Games. Four years later, two of them were holding medals.

In gay sports lore, Radford’s impact isn’t limited to his on-ice successes, of which there are many. He’s also beloved for living his best life as a proud gay man. (OK… it doesn’t hurt that he’s a total fox, either!)

Following the 2018 Games, Radford married his now-husband, Luis Fenero, and stepped away from skating for a couple of years. There are one handsome couple, to say the very least!

Following a three-year hiatus Radford returned to the ice in 2021, training for his third Olympics with a new partner, Vanessa James. They competed with each other at the 2022 Games in Beijing, finishing 12th in their event. The pair capped off their season with a bronze medal at the 2022 ISU World Figure Skating Championships.

Radford said his time with James was one of the best experiences he’s ever had.

“Our season with Vanessa was one of the best in my life,” he said. “I felt very lucky and grateful to be able to be back on the competitive ice after three years as a retired athlete and compete at the Olympics again. I have never expected this, never even dreamed that I would have such an experience. I felt very, very lucky. It was worth it.”

Since retiring, Radford has jumped into coaching. He accompanied Team Canada to last year’s Pan-Am Games in Santiago, Chile.

While Radford is staying close to the sport he loves, he’s also spread his proverbial skates… and shed his clothing. The 39-year-old is a part-time model, and full-time Zaddy.

“Officially a Zaddy I guess. 😄,” he posted last November.

Correct!

A record-setting 193 out athletes competed at the Paris Games, and figures like Radford are a big reason why. Though he only came out 10 years ago, the landscape has changed dramatically.

For a long time, LGBTQ+ Olympians hid their identities in order to chase athletic glory. Radford is one of many queer Olympians today who’s embracing his identity, and gaining iconic status in the process.

Now, his name is forever etched next to other legends. We love to see it!

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