Gay speed skater Blake Skjellerup, who had promised to wear a rainbow pin to the Sochi games and "be myself" in Russia, has failed to qualify, Outsports reports:
Skjellerup, who was poised to become the first publicly out gay male competitor in Winter Olympics history, competed in the 2010 Winter Olympics before coming out publicly. He finished 16th in the 1000-meter in Vancouver. As of now, there will be no publicly out male athletes competing in Sochi.
There is still a chance for Skjellerup to get to Sochi. Because he finished 33rd in the world rankings of the 500-meter, he is the first alternate for the Olympic Games. That means if any of the qualifying nations choose not to send a skater for their qualifying spot, Skjellerup would be the next in line. Officials at US Speed Skating said he has a long shot at the 1000-meter, but that is a distant long shot as he is the fifth or sixth alternate.
Skjellerup missed by one spot. More at Outsports…
