Jack Woolley is already making the most of his Olympics journey. The mixed martial arts master arrived in Paris with an amazing new outlook on life, which he unabashedly shares with his fans and followers.

As the Games kicked off this past weekend, the Irish native found himself standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the fastest woman in the world, Team USA star Sha’Carri Richardson.

Though they represent different countries, they’re both part of Team LGBTQ.

“An inspiration to so many 🫶🏼,” Woolley wrote on Instagram.

With Woolley’s martial arts competition beginning August 7, the two-time Olympian has plenty of time to enjoy the festivities. He chronicled his experience sailing on the Seine River during the Opening Ceremonies, inclement weather and and all!

Unsurprisingly, he didn’t allow a little precipitation to dampen his time. “We weren’t gonna let a little rain ruin this once in a lifetime experience,” he says in his video.

An array of out athletes, including sprinter Ramsey Angela and gymnast Luke Strong, expressed their support. “Love this! So fun to see such an iconic event through your eyes and the perspective of an athlete. Thank you for sharing with us,” wrote Raymond Braun, a record-setting triathlete.

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It’s wonderful to see Woolley experience so much joy, given his previous unease about being out. Prior to the Tokyo Games, his first Olympics, he expressed regret about revealing his orientation.

“I just wish I never labeled it. I still don’t like labeling it. People are just hell-bent on giving everyone labels nowadays,” he told the Irish website Extra in 2020.

Four years later, Woolley now says he’s proud to call himself LGBTQ+. The 25-year-old credits his boyfriend, personal trainer Dave Stig, with his personal growth.

“It’s just nice to have,” Woolley said about their relationship. “I actually met him the week I got home from Tokyo. It was kind of like a big change. I went into Tokyo not really having the support there, maybe it was friends and family, kind of being a little bit lost, but I got back from Tokyo and I had somebody there. It was structure.”

Dave is a regular presence on Woolley’s personal Instagram page. Prior to Paris 2024, the happy couple enjoyed a romantic getaway to Spain’s Canary Islands.

Standing on Olympic Cloud Nine, it’s fitting that Woolley posed for a pic with Richardson. Ahead of the Olympics, the world champion declared she wasn’t only back competing.

She was better than ever before.

“I’m not back, I’m better,” she affirmed last summer.

The line is a reference to Richardson’s road to Paris, which included a failed drug test and numerous setbacks. Poised to compete in Tokyo, the LSU standout won gold at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

But then, she tested positive for marijuana. She was subjected to a one-month ban, which made her ineligible for the Tokyo Games. After weeks of criticism, Richardson shared a simple message: “I am human.”

During a follow-up interview with Today, Richardson said she ingested cannabis after a reporter said her biological mother had passed.

“I want to take responsibility for my actions,” she said. “[I’m] not making an excuse or looking for any empathy in my case, but, however, being in that position in my life, finding out something like that, something that I would say is probably one of the biggest things that have impacted me … that definitely was a very heavy topic on me.”

Devastated, Richardson used her disappointment as a springboard to Paris 2024, where she’s one of the event’s biggest attractions. That’s what happens when you dominate the U.S. Championships with a personal-best in the 100-meter and anchor a gold medal relay.

At last month’s Olympic trials, Richardson won the 100-meter, with some support from a loyal friend: The legendary Cardi B!

The “WAP” singer and world’s fastest woman are one divalicious duo…

Speaking of pure diva, Richardson rocked a fierce mani-pedi at the Opening Ceremony. She said she’s most proud of the fact she’s always persevered.

“I would say to [myself], ‘I’m glad you were always yourself. No matter what happened, no matter what was going on, you stayed committed to the fact that you love what you love, you put your full self into what you’re doing, and that’s all that matters. It’s always going to show,” she said when asked about her reflections.

With a record 191 out athletes (as of pub time), the Paris Olympics are now the gayest in history. Tom Daley kicked off the Games with a silver medal win in the diving synchro 10-meters, and blew a kiss to his husband and sons from the podium.

The moment was a heartwarming representation of gay pride, pairing perfectly with Daley’s rainbow towels.

With a resume full of hardware, Richardson is expected to bring home a medal, too. In terms of the Games themselves, her success will benefit Team USA.

But her impact to Team LGBTQ may be more valuable. Just ask a kid named Jack Woolley!

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