Jack Woolley wasn’t always comfortable as an out athlete. In fact, the Olympian and mixed martial arts master expressed regret about coming out prior to the Tokyo Games.

“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 is in a much better place. Just ask him, or look at his Instagram page, which is filled with adorable pics of Woolley and his boyfriend.

Though he previously identified as bi, many of his pics now come with hashtags such as “#gay” or “#gaycouple.”

“It’s just nice to have,” Woolley said about his relationship with Dave. “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.”

The two appear to be enjoying an excellent Pride Month, with a trip to the Canary Islands and outing to see pop singer Zara Larsson.

Woolley secured an Olympic spot for his native Ireland in taekwondo in March, and was officially named to the team two weeks ago. He enters the Games riding a wave of victories, including a win at his last competition,  the WT Presidents Cup in Estonia.

Since competing in Tokyo, he has won silver medals at the 2022 European Championships and 2023 European Games, and bronze at the 2023 Taekwondo Spanish Open. The No. 5-ranked athlete in his sport, Woolley made history in 2021 as the first Irish athlete to ever compete in taekwondo.

Though he suffered an early defeat, it’s apparent he cherished the experience. Woolley has the Olympic rings tattooed on his chest.

“Two years ago today I officially became an OLYMPIAN,” he reflected in a post last summer. “Although Tokyo didn’t go the way I had planned it is still an experience that I will never forget. My plan now is to qualify for my second games and compete next summer in Paris 2024.”

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Now a two-time Olympian, 25-year-old Woolley is confident he’s going to thrive in Paris. He’s in a positive place mentally, and that’s most important.

“I am looking forward to enjoying Paris now,” he told the Irish Independent. “When I go out and am happy and I’m excited, I tend to perform much better. I have a lot of support going to watch me, it will be an amazing atmosphere.”

Dave will be Woolley’s most important supporter next month, when the Games begin. Woolley describes their meeting as the “best thing that’s ever happened” to him.

As Outsports’ Jim Buzinski points out, Woolley fights in a weight class 10 pounds below his normal weight of 138 pounds. The heaviest he’s allowed to be at fight time is 134 pounds.

As one can imagine, keeping off weight at 138 pounds can be taxing. There’s a fine line between cutting and malnourishment.

Woolley says he’s always struggled with body image, and taekwondo’s rigid weight requirements don’t help.

“My relationship with food has been terrible since I was a kid, realistically. Growing up, my mam always had issues with me eating because I was always skinny,” he said.

“But then with the weight in sport, I would say it’s not healthy at all. It’s something that I’m working on. I have a nutritionist and a psychologist, and I deal with weight a lot better now.”

He’s also open about his anxieties on social media, using his platform to spread body positivity.

“Over the last few months I’ve really been working on being more comfortable with my body,” he wrote in a post last fall. “Still work to be done mentally but happy with the progress I’ve made recently ✌🏽😇.”

At 25, Woolley is still just entering adulthood. We can’t wait to follow him as he continues to grow, and hopefully crushes Paris!

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