‘Team LGBTQ’ has already won two gold medals at the 2026 Winter Olympics

2026 Winter Olympics is off to a flying start for Team LGBTQ+ after two queer athletes have already won gold.

Sunday (8 February) was a good day for LGBTQ+ sports fans after American skier Breezy Johnson made history over the weekend after winning the women’s downhill alpine skiing race.

The triumphant win cemented the bisexual competitor in the history books as the first out LGBTQ+ athlete to win gold at the Milan Winter Olympics.

As if that wasn’t enough, pansexual figure skater Amber Glenn won gold later that same day after her spectacular Olympic debut in the team figure skating event.

READ MORE: These 2026 Winter Olympics figure skaters are bringing the queer energy we need

The international multi-sport event broke records this year with its roster of over 41 out LGBTQ+ athletes – the most in the Winter Olympics’ history – representing 13 countries including the UK, the US, Canada, Finland, Sweden, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, France, Germany, and more.

LGBTQ+ sports media brand Outsports is tracking each competitor’s performance across their nine respective events as part of its “Team LGBTQ+” campaign, which highlights representation across both the Winter and Summer Olympic Games.

Despite her historic win, Amber Glenn, 26, told USA Today she felt initially disappointed in her performance after coming third in the women’s free skate portion of the event.

“I just did not feel wonderful, like even in the warm-ups,” she said. “My leg was just sore, and it’s not an injury, it’s nothing that we need to worry about. It’s just something that I need that rest and recovery time.”

Her recovery was enough to place Team USA and, indeed, Team LGBTQ+, in the run-up to the gold medal position, which they eventually won.

Breezy Johnson, 30, was comparatively confident in her self-admittedly strenuous performance at the women’s downhill alpine race.

“I knew I had to push,” she told reporters. “I knew I had to go harder than I did in training. I had to be super clean, and I felt like I did that.

“I got a little bit squirrely off of some of the jumps, but I tried to just keep it rolling and I knew the speeds were good. I just hoped it would be enough.”

With an already impressive performance, Team LGBTQ+ is just getting started as the 2026 Winter Olympics continues.

Swedish skier Elis Lundholm will make history this week as the first trans man to compete in the Winter Games during the women’s moguls qualifying event on Tuesday (10 February).

The 23-year-old regularly competes in the women’s freestyle skiing tournament, having previously had three top-25 finishes in World Cup events for moguls skiing.

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