Adam Rippon strips completely naked for ESPN’s Body Issue
By Will Stroude
The ease with which Adam Rippon bares his soul has quickly made him one of the world’s most beloved sports stars over the last six months, but the Olympic figure skater has bared a whole lot more than just that for ESPN The Magazine’s Body Issue.
Adam, who became the first openly gay male athlete to medal at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics earlier this year and was recently crowned winner of Dancing with the Stars, stripped completely naked for the annual celebration of skin as he opened up about the changes his mind – and body – have been through over the last few years.
Of course, there are plenty of preview images to enjoy, too.
“I couldn’t have done this [shoot] while I was in the closet,” 28-year-old Adam, who came out publicly in 2015, admits in the magazine. “I think that, with my experience of coming out, I felt so liberated in so many ways.”
The ESPN Body Issue comes out on Monday and I’ve never been so nervous and excited to see my own butt pic.twitter.com/q3V54rI2Wa
— Adam Rippon (@Adaripp) June 23, 2018
Meanwhile, People also shared a teaser of Adam’s jaw-dropping shoot, which sees the athlete showing off his statement moves as he skates in the nude.
Discussing the next generation of openly gay sports stars, Adam says: “I hope the focus isn’t on them being out but on their incredible stories and all the work it took to be there.`
“It was kind of nuts, but it was funny: Through the course of the Olympics, it was like, ‘Gay Olympian Adam Rippon’. Then it was just ‘Olympian Adam Rippon’.”
You can check out some of the highlights of Adam’s shoot below – and be sure to check out the full works when ESPN The Magazine’s Body Issue hits newsstands on Friday (June 29).
