While the Tokyo Olympics may have officially just had their closing ceremony, we are still reeling from the amazing performance of Italian LGBTQ+ athlete Lucilla Boari, who not only performed amazingly well in her sport, but made waves off the court by coming out in the most meaningful way!
After becoming the first Italian archer to win an individual medal in Olympics history, Boari settled in for interviews with Italian media to celebrate her Bronze medal win. To her – and our – delight, she was greeted on the virtual screen by Sanne de Lat, a Dutch athlete and fellow archer who was not competing in Tokyo.
A smile came across Boari’s face that we won’t soon forget.
“Congratulations,” de Lat said on camera. “It’s super amazing and I’m super proud of you. I can’t wait until you’re here so I can give you the biggest hug there is. I love you!”
Then, Boari proudly proclaimed to the media around her, “That’s Sanne, my girlfriend.” The statement confirmed she was an out Olympian, the second competing in Tokyo to come out after winning a medal (after Katarzyna Zillmann of Poland who won a silver medal in the quadruple sculls). Watch it all go down below!
The Tokyo Olympics will not only go down in history as one of the most LGBTQ+ inclusive in history, but thanks to all the love and celebration of LGBTQ+ identity we saw throughout the games.
Go Team LGBTQ+ Italy!
For more coverage of LGBTQ+ Olympians, check out OutSports.com.
