Attitude’s Active Award, supported by Jaguar: Team GB’s LGBT Olympic athletes
By Josh Lee
Team GB were the first nation to improve upon a medal haul four years after hosting the Games, with 67 medals won in Rio compared to 65 at London 2012.
Athletic prowess aside though, Team GB also had the most only LGBT+ Olympians of any nation proudly competing in Rio. Seven won medals, and four left Rio as Olympic champions, and we’re thrilled to name all of the the winners of Attitude’s Active Award, supported by Jaguar.
Among Team GB’s more successful LGBT athletes were Kate and Helen Richardson-Walsh; the golden couple of the Games and the first married women to share an Olympic podium (to receive gold medals, no less).
The Olympics had its fair share of anti-LGBT controversies, from a journalist thoughtlessly revealing identifiable information about closeted athletes, to the Daily Mail mocking Chris Mears’ and Jack Laugher’s masculinity when they shared an emotional embrace after winning Gold Medals. But ladies hockey is world’s away from that sort of small-mindedness, say Kate and Helen reckon.
“In hockey teams there were gay women and for us it was a very inclusive environment to come out in,” Helen tells us.
“In the GB hockey team, we talk about everything, every part of life is on the table for conversation and we are sometimes a bit too open, but it’s a nice environment.”
Are you listening, men’s football? You could learn a thing or two.
Kate and Helen Richardson-Walsh accepted Attitude’s Active Award on behalf of Team GB’s LGBT athletes at tonight’s star-studded Attitude Awards ceremony at London’s 8 Northumberland Avenue, hosted by Alan Cumming. The pair were presented with the award by Freddie Flintoff.
Read more about Team GB and the rest of winners from the Attitude Awards 2016, presented in association with Virgin Holidays, in our special November issue, which comes with six different covers featuring some of the night’s biggest winners.
It’s available to download from 11pm tonight (October 10) at pocketmags.com/attitude and available in shops from Wednesday (October 12). You can order the cover of your choice from 10am on Tuesday (October 11) at newsstand.co.uk.
Kate wears top by Topshop, trousers by Tommy Hilfiger, shoes by Jimmy Choo.
Helen wears top by Reiss, trousers by Topshop, shoes by Jimmy Choo.
Photography by Jenny Brough
Styling by Joseph Kocharian