The Paris Olympics concluded on Sunday with a day of sporting that included the U.S. vs France Women’s Basketball Gold Medal match, a game that aged me around 45 years over the course of four quarters (we won, of course). But the seven incredible gay players on that winning basketball team were just some of the many queer athletes who competed and took home medals in the games.
According to OutSports, if you look at all LGBTQ+ athletes as a collective and designate one medal for each team win the Paris Olympics queers won a total of 42 medals this year: 15 gold medals, 13 silver medals and 14 bronze medals. According to our own math, 35 of those went to LGBTQ+ women individuals or teams with LGBTQ+ women on them. Overall, we counted 55 LGBTQ+ women athletes going home with medals.
Gay Olympic athletes of prior games also turned up in Paris — Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe were in the audience at many key events, including obviously women’s soccer and basketball contests. Soccer legend Brianna Scurry was part of the US delegates for the Paris Closing Ceremonies. Other queer celebs spotted across the games include Queen Latifah, Lady Gaga, Lena Waithe, Cynthia Erivo, (former Olympic soccer player) Ashlyn Harris and Sophia Bush.
Let’s take a look at how our massive list of LGBTQ+ women and trans athletes performed in the Olympics!
Archery
Michelle Kroppen (Germany)
Results: Mixed Team (2nd, Silver)
Athletics/Track & Field
Sha’Carri Richardson Earns Her First Olympic Gold for the United States
Results: 100m (2nd, Silver) and 4 x 100m Relay (1st, Gold)
After being unjustly disqualified from the Tokyo games, the fastest woman in the world came back hard in Paris, earning a silver medal in the 100 meter, and triumphing for a gold in the 4 x 100m Relay on a slick track. Gabby Thomas, who passed the baton to Richardson, spoke the truth: “She’s so fast and we know we’re in good hands as soon as she gets her hands on the baton.”
Michelle-Lee Ahye (Trinidad and Tobago)
Results: 100m (37th) and 4 x 100m Relay (DNQ)
Ana Carolina Azevedo (Brazil)
Results: 100m (35th) and 200m (37th)
Izabela da Silva (Brazil)
Result: Discus Throw (17th)
Nikki Hitlz (United States)
Result: 1500m (7th)
Maria Perez (Spain)
Results: Walk Mixed Relay (1st, Gold), 20km (2nd, Silver)
Raven Saunders (United States)
Result: Shot Put (11th)
Senni Salminen (Finland)
Result: Triple Jump (DNS)
Badminton
Kristy Gilmour (Great Britain)
Result: Women’s Singles (14th)
Basketball
Kahleah Copper, Chelsea Gray, Brittney Griner, Jewell Loyd, Breanna Stewart, Diana Taurasi, and Alyssa Thomas of the U.S. Women’s National Basketball Team Bring Home the Gold
The U.S National women’s basketball team is the most dominant team in the history of the Olympics. They’ve been on a gold medal winning streak since the 1996 Atlanta games, and have brought home a total of ten total Gold Medals for the U.S. since the sport debuted in 1976. Sunday’s game against France, in addition to taking place at the unfortunate hour of 6:30 AM PST, was a nail-biter, with the U.S. finally eking out a win by a one-point margin, 66-67.
Our team boasted a gay coach and seven gay players, including some of the tournament’s top performers. Breanna Stewart averaged 16.3 points per game, 5.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.7 blocks. In her first Olympic games, Kahleah Copper ended up being one of the most impactful players in the semi-finals and finals, particularly in the final quarter of the Gold medal game.
The win was especially meaningful for Brittney Griner, who averaged 7.3 points per game with a 64% shooting average. Griner spent 10 months in a Russian prison in 2022, and couldn’t hold back her tears on the podium. “My country fought for me to get back,” she said. “And I was able to bring home gold for my country. There’s just no better feeling.” She and her wife, Cherelle Griner, recently welcomed a baby boy into their family, and Cherelle was courtside to cheer Brittney on.
Amy Atwell and Sami Whitcomb (Australia)
Result: 3rd, Bronze
Paula Ginzo and Mariona Ortiz (Spain)
Result: 5th
Tayra Melendez, Isalys Quinones, and Sofía Roma (Puerto Rico)
Result: 10th
Alexis Peterson (Germany)
Result: 7th
Basketball 3×3
Anneli Maley, Marena Whittle, and Ally Wilson (Australia)
Result: 5th
Svenja Brunckhorst (Germany)
Result: 1st, Gold
Beach Volleyball
Ana Patricia (Brazil)
Result: 1st, Gold
Boxing
There are too many triumphant gay stories from this year’s team of queer boxers to count. Gay boxer Cindy Ngamba became the first athlete in history to earn a medal for the Refugee Olympic Team. Ngamba and her parents fled Cameroon in 2009 during a period of civil strife. Britain granted her asylum in 2022 because Cameroon criminalizes homosexuality. Ireland’s Kellie Harrington won gold in the women’s 60kg final, becoming the first Irish female athlete to win gold medals at consecutive Olympics. She plans to hang up her gloves and pursue a “simpler life” with her wife Mandy and her family after the games.
Editor’s Note: We’re working on a longer piece about the history of sex testing in athletics this week.
Hergie Bacyadan (Philippines)
Result: 75kg (9th)
Beatriz “Bia” Ferreira (Brazil)
Result: 60kg (3rd, Bronze)
Kellie Harrington (Ireland)
Result: 60kg (1st, Gold)
Cindy Ngamba (IOC Refugee Team)
Result: 75kg (3rd, Bronze)
Nesthy Petecio (Philippines)
Result: 57kg (3rd, Bronze)
Chuthamat Raksat (Thailand)
Result: 50kg (5th)
Irma Testa (Italy)
Result: 57kg (17th)
Michaela Walsh (Ireland)
Result: 57kg (9th)
Marissa Williamson Pohlman (Australia)
Result: 66kg (9th)
Canoe Slalom
Evy Leibfarth (United States)
Results: Kayak Single (15th), Canoe Single (3rd, Bronze), and Kayak Cross (10th)
Cycling: BMX Freestyle
Perris Benegas (United States)
Result: 2nd, Silver
Natalya Diehm (Australia)
Result: 3rd, Bronze
Hannah Roberts (United States)
Result: 8th
Cycling: Road
Marianne Vos (Netherlands)
Result: Road Race (2nd, Silver)
Cycling: Track
Lauriane Genest (Canada)
Results: Keirin (16th), Sprint (13th), Team Sprint (8th)
Equestrian
Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour (Denmark)
Results: Dressage, Individual (5th) and Team (2nd, Silver)
Fencing
Lauren Scruggs Is The First Black Woman and First Out Black Lesbian To Win an Individual Fencing Medal for the U.S.
Events: Foil Individual (2nd, Silver) and Foil Team (1st, Gold)
21-year-old Scruggs was the first publicly out Black lesbian to compete in the Olympics for fencing. She and her team brought home a gold medal in the Women’s Foil Team event — the first time in Olympics history that said medal went to U.S. team. Scruggs secured a silver in the Women’s Foil Individual. She told GLAAD that being a trailblazer feels “crazy, but representation is important! Hopefully with this achievement more people find they have a place in fencing and join the sport.”
Football
Tierna Davidson and Jane Campbell On Gold Medal Winning U.S. National Women’s Soccer Team
Result: 1st, Gold
The United States Women’s National Team has dominated the football tournament, on and off, since its debut at the 1996 Atlanta Games. But after failing to medal in Rio and earning Bronze in Tokyo, our girls bounced back and secured a gold this year. It was definitely the straightest team we’ve had in a while, with only Tierna Davidson playing in the Olympics. But we won!!
Teresa Abelleira, Jenni Hermoso, Irene Paredes, Alexia Putellas (Barcelona), and Alba Redondo (Spain)
Result: 4th
Adriana, Lauren, Lorena, Luciana, Marta, Taina, Tamires and Tarciane (Brazil)
Result: 2nd, Silver
Mackenzie Arnold, Ellie Carpenter, Caitlin Foord, Sharn Freier, Katrina Gorry, Michelle Heyman, Alanna Kennedy, Teagan Micah, Hayley Raso, Emily van Egmond, Cortnee Vine and Tameka Yallop (Australia)
Result: 9th
Ann-Katrin Berger, Sara Doorsoun, Felicitas Rauch, and Lea Schüller (Germany)
Result: 3rd, Bronze
Kadeisha Buchanan, Quinn,
Kailen Sheridan, and Shelina Zadorsky (Canada)
Result: 7th
Linda Caicedo, Daniela Montoya, and Leicy Santos (Colombia)
Result: 8th
Michaela Foster, Annalie Longo and Meikayla Moore (New Zealand)
Result: 10th
Maelle Lakrar, Pauline Peyraud-Magnin, and Constance Picaud (France)
Result: 6th
Golf
Georgia Hall (Great Britain)
Result: 36th
Alena Sharp (Canada)
Result: Individual Stroke Play (42nd)
Handball
Barbara “Babi” Arenhart, Adriana Cardoso de Castro, Mariana Costa, and Bruna de Paula (Brazil)
Result: 7th
Nathalie Hagman (Sweden)
Result: 4th
Csenge Kuczora (Hungary)
Result: 6th
Hockey
Dirkie Chamberlain (South Africa)
Result: 11th
Fiona Crackles and Sarah Jones (Great Britain)
Result: 8th
Charlotte Englebert, Emma Puvrez, and Abigail “Abi” Raye (Belgium)
Result: 4th
Ashley Hoffman (United States)
Result: 9th
Ines Lardeur, Alice Lesgourgues, and Mathilde Petriaux (France)
Result: 12th
Judo
Alice Bellandi (Italy)
Results: Mixed Team (5th) and 78kg (1st, Gold)
Amandine Buchard (France)
Results: Mixed Team (1st, Gold) and 52kg (3rd, Bronze)
Rafaela Silva (Brazil)
Results: Mixed Team (3rd, Bronze) and 57kg (5th)
Guusje Steenhuis (Netherlands)
Results: Mixed Team (9th) and 78kg (7th)
Sanne van Dijke (Netherlands)
Results: Mixed Team (9th) and 70kg (5th)
Rowing
Nina Castagna (United States)
Event: Eight (5th)
Teal Cohen and Grace Joyce (United States)
Result: Quadruple Sculls (9th)
Regina Salmons (United States)
Result: Eight (5th)
Tabea Schendekehl (Germany)
Result: Quadruple Sculls (3rd, Bronze)
Jessica Thoennes (United States)
Result: Pair (4th)
Emma Twigg (New Zealand)
Result: Single Sculls (2nd, Silver)
Rugby Sevens
Portia Woodman-Wickliffe was on the Gold-Medal-Winning New Zealand Rugby Sevens Team
Result: 1st, Gold
It felt like the world really fell in love with rugby this year, and in doing so, discovered a lot of gay athletes! New Zealand pulled off a triumphant gold medal, as they did in Tokyo. Portia Woodman-Wickliffe, an lesbian athlete of Māori descent who also competed in Rio and Tokyo, retired after the Paris Olympics. Her Rugby Sevens performed the Haka after winning their second straight gold medal in a match against Canada.
Olivia Apps and Alysha Corrigan (Canada)
Result: 2nd, Silver
Kemisetso Baloyi (South Africa)
Result: 11th
Lauren Doyle, Alev Kelter, and Steph Rovetti (United States)
Result: 3rd, Bronze
Marina Fioravanti (Brazil)
Result: 10th
Meg Jones, Jasmine Joyce, and Lauren Torley (Great Britain)
Result: 7th
Sharmi Smale Williams (Australia)
Result: 4th
Sailing
Lara Vadlau Won Austria’s First Gold Medal, Broke Up With Olympian Girlfriend
Result: Mixed Dinghy (1st, Gold)
Vadlau’s win of at the mixed dinghy event was Austria’s first gold medal in the Paris Olympics, and one of two Gold Medals earned by Austria throughout the games. Vadlau competed in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, but this was her first medal. She was also one-half of one of the five lesbian couples competing in the Olympics in Paris — her girlfriend, Lea Schuller, is on the German Football team, which earned a Bronze medal. Apparently they broke up during the Olympics, with Lara telling the press, “Lea is no longer my partner. Of course I am very proud of her and we are still very good friends and I am keeping my fingers crossed for her.”
Shooting
Jolyn Beer (Germany)
Result: 50m Rifle 3 Positions (9th)
Surfing
Sarah Baum (South Africa)
Result: 9th
Tyler Wright (Australia)
Result: 5th
Swimming
Ana Marcela Cunha (Brazil)
Result: Marathon Swimming – 10km (4th)
Melanie Henique (France)
Result: 50m Freestyle (22nd)
Tennis
Nadia Podoroska (Argentina)
Results: Singles (33rd), Doubles (9th), and Mixed Doubles (9th)
Demi Schuurs (Netherlands)
Results: Doubles (17th) and Mixed Doubles (4th)
Volleyball
Anne Buijs (Netherlands)
Result: 10th
Ana Carolina Da Silva, Gabriela Guimaraes, and Rosamaria Montibeller (Brazil)
Result: 3rd, Bronze
Paola Egonu (Italy)
Result: 1st, Gold
Ebrar Karakury (Türkiye)
Result: 4th
Haleigh Washington (United States)
Result: 2nd, Silver
Wrestling
Kayla Miracle (United States)
Result: Freestyle 62kg (7th)