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PROUD COMPETITORS THIS YEAR SEES THE WORLD PARA ATHLETICS AND THE IAAF CHAMPIONSHIPS TAKE PLACE IN . KEPH SENETT TAKES A BRIEF LOOK AT LGBT+ VISIBILITY AND ACHIEVEMENT IN ATHLETICS

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SPOTLIGHT: CLAIRE HARVEY the United States who came out in 1981, when Claire Harvey began her Paralympian career she was in the US military. when she was in her 30s, and by 2012 had earned the title of of the Team UP-AND-COMING TALENT sitting volleyball team. In 2015, she switched to Large-scale sporting events like the World track and field, competing in throwing events. Championships whet spectator appetites for the “[At the start of my career] I was at a point in promise on display by up-and-coming talent. my life where going back in the closet and not Keep an eye out for these out LGBT+ athletes. being authentic just wasn’t even worth contemplating,” she says, adding that being out YULIMAR ROJAS has had a positive impact on her athletic Rojas is a young Venezuelan track and field performance. “Elite sport, particularly in a athlete, Olympian, and record-holder in Paralympic cycle, requires you to give 100 per Women’s . At only 21 years old, she’s cent and leave nothing behind.” already established herself as her nation’s best Harvey sees the World Para Athletics jumper, earning the top spot in six events since Championships as an opportunity for the world 2014. She became ’s first world at large. “Sport can be a vehicle whereby people champion in athletics at the World Indoor come together, celebrate the things that bind us Championships in Portland, Oregon in 2016. rather than not. I hope London 2017 uses the Rojas has never been secretive about her platform to call for inclusion and compassion. sexuality, posting freely to her social media Also, I want it to be a moment in time when accounts. During the 2016 in people see beyond demographics. I don’t want , , Rojas posted images of people to say, ‘There’s the lesbian discus herself with her girlfriend, to whom she publicly thrower’; I want them to say, ‘There’s a brilliant dedicated her silver medal in Triple Jump. discus thrower. Oh, I didn’t know she was a In November of 2016, she signed with FC lesbian… But look at that technique!’” Barcelona Athletics.

SPOTLIGHT: TOM BOSWORTH JARON THOMAS In late 2015, Team Great Britain race walker Tom Colorado University’s Jaron Thomas is one of the Bosworth came out in an interview with the first openly gay athletes on his campus, and one BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire. He timed the of the best hurdlers his school has ever seen. interview so that it wouldn’t divert focus from Thomas came out at the end of high school, and his performance at the 2016 Rio Olympics, the mixed reactions from his peer group where he broke five British records and finished convinced him that he wanted to be out from the sixth in the Olympic 20 kilometre walk. beginning of college. “The term ‘coming out’ is “In sport at the elite level we say you need to actually more of a ‘letting in’ process, and I find those ‘one per cents’ to increase wanted to let my teammates into my life and who performance,” Bosworth says. “Maybe being able I was — so I was honest with them,” Thomas to live as me the last few years has been a one per told his college paper. The Division I athlete has cent and that’s why my performance has had a stellar track and field career, with strong increased.” Bosworth is looking forward to the showings in early 2017 that may earn him an London World Championships, “by far the NCAA postseason spot. biggest sporting event to happen in the world this year,” and notes that the 13 August race, EMMONNIE HENDERSON which he will almost surely qualify for, is free to This University of Louisville hurler has been view on the Mall. “It’s going to be incredible.” making waves for the last couple of years, CLOCKWISE FROM Other seasoned out hopefuls likely to qualify earning several conference titles. At the 2017 TOP LEFT: ANGELA include ’s Caster Semenya, the ACC Indoor Track and Field Championship in MADSEN; middle-distance runner and Olympic gold medal February, Henderson won in shot put, came in YUKLIMAR ROJAS (CATHOLYMPIQUE); TOM winner who married her partner in early 2017; second in weight throw, and was named BOSWORTH; CLAIRE ’s Nadine Müller, the Olympic discus conference Indoor Field MVP—the third MVP HARVEY ; NADINE thrower who married her girlfriend on New accolade in her athletics career. In 2016, MULLER ( © ROLF ROLETSCHEK) ; CASTER Year’s Eve in 2013; Sunette Viljoen from South Henderson came out in the press and got SEMENYA (CC TAB59) Africa, the Olympic silver medallist in javelin; engaged to her long-term girlfriend. Although Germany’s Martina Strutz, a World she was invited to Olympic trials for Rio in Championship veteran pole vaulter who married 2016, she declined due to injuries. If her her partner in 2015; and, Angela Madsen, a performance in early 2017 is any indication, Paralympian shot put and javelin thrower from she’ll be one to watch. “I was at a point in my life where going back in the closet and not being authentic just wasn’t even worth contemplating”

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