Stefanie Dolson, a basketball player, has become the first LGBT United States athlete to win a gold medal during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Dolson and her team emerged victorious against the Russian Olympic Committee, marking another historic moment: U.S.’s first-ever gold in women’s 3x3 basketball, MetroWeekly reported.
“I’m so proud of this team and myself too,” Dolson said after the match. “We fought so hard to get here and it wasn’t always easy and we’re really happy with what we’ve done.”
Dolson came out in 2016 when she said she felt called to “lead an authentic life in the open,” according to ESPN.
“I know who I am, and I don’t care if people judge me,” she said.
Although Alana Smith, a 20-year-old non-binary skateboarder, did not win any medals, they’re still left with a “sense of accomplishment,” the Los Angeles Blade reported.
“What a wild f***ing ride … My goal coming into this was to be happy and be a visual representation for humans like me,” Smith wrote on Instagram. “For the first time in my entire life, I'm proud of the person I’ve worked to become. I chose my happiness over medaling. Out of everything I’ve done, I wanted to walk out of this knowing I UNAPOLOGETICALLY was myself and was genuinely smiling.”
The Olympic Games has over 160 LGBT athletes competing this year.