>> Kate And Helen Richardson-Walsh Become First Same-Sex Married Couple To Win Gold
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Après le bronze à Londres, la Grande-Bretagne s’est offerte l’or à Rio en hockey sur gazon féminin, contre les Pays-Bas en finale aux tirs au but (3-3, 2-0 aux t.a.b).
Un titre mérité pour les britanniques qui auront été plus solides que les Néerlandaises, deux fois championnes et en lice pour le triplé olympique. Mais une « victoire » plus significative encore pour Kate Richardson-Walsh, 38 ans, et son épouse Helen, qui auront partagé le podium en tant que « premier couple marié de même sexe », membres d’une même équipe, à recevoir une médaille dans l’histoire des jeux.
Ensemble depuis 2008, les deux femmes ont officialisé leur union en 2013, avec l’adoption en Angleterre et au Pays de Galles de la loi ouvrant la voie aux premiers mariages entre personnes du même sexe.
Capitaine de l’équipe, Kate avait pourtant choisi de se retirer en 2014. Malgré une fracture de la mâchoire lors des JO de 2012 et après toute une batterie d’autres opérations encore de chirurgie du dos en moins d’un an, elle est revenue avec cette promesse de médaille avec Helen, émue de servir de modèle :
« Je rencontre souvent des jeunes sportifs qui m’expliquent que je les ai aidés d’une certaine façon à s’assumer, déjà auprès de leur famille. En attendant que tout ceci devienne rapidement dérisoire, j’invite les autres athlètes LGBT en couple ou pas à se manifester, car je présume qu’il y en a beaucoup plus à Rio, même s’ils ne le revendiquent pas. Nous avons ouvert la porte et ça se passe bien. »
Les jeux les plus « friendly » effectivement, avec un record donc cette année de concurrents LGBT et les derniers coming out il y a encore quelques jours de la judokate brésilienne Rafaela Silva, couronnée d’Or dans la catégorie des moins de 57 kilos, et de la nageuse italienne Rachel Bruni, médaillée d’argent du 10 km en eau libre, qui en a profité pour remercier sa compagne Diletta.
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La médaille de bronze en hockey sur gazon féminin est revenue à l’Allemagne, qui a battu la Nouvelle-Zélande (2-1).
Valentine Monceau
stophomophobie.org
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>> An Olympic Games with the most openly LGBT competitors ever saw more history made Friday, as Kate and Helen Richardson-Walsh of Great Britain became the first same-sex married couple to win medals — and they’re gold.
Both are players on the British women’s field hockey team, which beat the Netherlands in a tie-breaking « shootout » — similar to a sudden-death overtime — at the Rio games. The teams were tied 3-3 at the end of regulation play Friday night, setting up the shootout, in which Great Britain scored two goals to win the gold, with Helen Richardson-Walsh responsible for the first, on a penalty stroke. This was the first gold medal win for the British team; the Netherlands team is the silver medalist.
« It is really, really special, » Kate Richardson-Walsh, who is captain of the British team, told USA Today after the game. « To win an Olympic medal is special. To do it with your wife … we will cherish this for the rest of our lives. »
The women have been together since 2008 and were married in 2013, the year same-sex marriage was legalized in the United Kingdom.
There were other factors that made the win particularly meaningful. Kate’s jaw was broken by a hockey stick in the 2012 London Olympics, but she had surgery right away and continued to captain the team, which won the bronze medal that year.
« I am so proud of the way she has come back, » Helen told USA Today. « She deserves this so much. »
The British also defeated a particularly dominant Netherlands team — the Dutch women’s field hockey team had not lost an Olympic match since 2004, the paper reports. This year’s Dutch team also has a couple of out lesbian or bi members, Carlien Dirkse van den Heuvel and Maartje Paumen. And the British team has another lesbian member, Susannah Townsend.
The Richardson-Walshes said they hope they will inspire closeted LGBT athletes to come out, they told the newspaper. « There will surely be more gay married couples who compete at the same Games, either together or otherwise, » notes USA Today reporter Martin Rogers. « Before long, it might be normal enough to be barely worth mentioning. Let’s hope so, but this was a fine way to start. »
« We’re not out there shouting it, it’s just part and parcel of who we are, » Kate said.
Helen added: « If you are really open about it, people say, ‘Why do you make such a big deal about it?’ »
« When people say ‘you’ve helped me come out to my parents’ or ‘deal with my own sexuality’ it’s really powerful. »
An Italian open water swimming star earlier this week become the first Italian Olympic athlete at the Rio 2016 games to publicly come out as gay with an inspirational message about acceptance.
A record number of out LGBT Olympians took to Rio this year to participate in the games, but none were from Team Italy.
Tom Bosworth – a race walker for Team GB – tweeted a photo of himself proposing to his boyfriend on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro earlier this week.
Bosworth and his boyfriend were the second gay couple to engaged at this year’s games, after a rugby sevens player was proposed to by her girlfriend.
At the weekend, a Brazilian judo champion came out publicly as gay in an interview during the Rio Olympics.
