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Openly Gay Figure Skater Eric Radford Might Just Make History

This may sound surprising, but even in the figure skating community, athletes have long been reluctant to come out of the closet while actively competing. When Canadian athlete Eric Radford, 30, came out to Outsports magazine last December, he became the first ever figure skater to be openly gay at the height of his career.

In an interview with Daily Xtra, Radford was asked why performers are reluctant to come out of the "frozen closet." "I think that the biggest reason would just be fear of the unknown," said Radford. "There's anxiety, there's fear, because you don't know how the other person is going to react. And being in the public eye, that's just multiplying it by, like, five."

Eric cites the Canadian Olympic Committtee's #OneTeam Initiative as a major inspiration for his coming out. In fact, he is now an ambassador for the program, helping to combat homophobia in professional sports. He went on to say that, "My fear of coming out wasn't as strong as my want to just get my story out and help people."

As he prepares for the next competition, Radford is faced with the knowledge that, if he plays his cards right, he just might become the world's first openly gay man to win gold at the World Figure Skating Championship, which takes place this week in Shanghai, from March 23rd to the 29th.

We'll be rooting for you, Eric! Watch the full interview below!

*Photo Credit: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

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