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Countdown to the Gay Games

Swimmer Todd Harvey is already veteran champ for D.C. Aquatics Club

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Todd Harvey, gay news, Washington Blade
Todd Harvey, gay news, Washington Blade

Todd Harvey says being in the water is his ‘runway walk’ time. (Washington Blade photo by Kevin Majoros)

When Todd Harvey was living in Austin, Texas, he was looking to get back into the sport of swimming but was unable to find a team that was a good match for him.

At the end of 2012, his job in public health administration at the National Alliance of State & Territorial AIDS Directors moved him to Washington and he was still itching to get back in the water.

“I didn’t know many people here,” says Harvey, 34.  “Besides wanting to get back into swimming, I wanted to expand my friendship base in a healthy way.”

He joined the District of Columbia Aquatics Club within a few months of moving to D.C. and has already proven himself a valuable asset to the team winning nine medals at the International Gay & Lesbian Aquatics Championships in Seattle last August.

Harvey grew up in Uniontown, Pa., and went through the sports of soccer and wrestling before discovering swimming at age 10.  He joined the local YMCA, fell in love with the sport and went on to captain his high school swim team.

This August, Harvey will compete at the 2014 Gay Games in Cleveland in the 50, 100 & 200 butterfly, 50 backstroke and 200 freestyle. His training leading up to the Games will consist of swimming four-to-five times a week, weightlifting and solidcore training.

Harvey remains dedicated to the sport of swimming for a number of reasons.

“I think the best thing about swimming as an adult is that I have found an incredible team,” says Harvey. “DCAC is a serious group of well-trained, amazing athletes, who push one another to put forth their best efforts in the pool. We also do a lot of things socially and provide emotional support for one another when it is needed.”

One thing that seems to be a common denominator for all competitive swimmers, Harvey says, is the love of the rush that comes right before a race. There is no time for mistakes in a race and the desire to perform their best puts pressure squarely on the shoulders of each swimmer.

“Swimming is my time to feel athletic and fit. I love being able to measure myself now versus my old self. There is no better feeling than when you feel good in the water. It’s my runway walk and I feel strong.”

This will be Harvey’s first Gay Games and he is looking forward to experiencing the LGBT athletic community, swimming fast and seeing Cleveland from a new perspective.

He also gamely admits there will be a fun side to the proceedings as well.

“I am really looking forward to the on-deck gossip. Who met who, who did what and did you see what he looks like in that Speedo?”

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More than a dozen LGBTQ athletes medal at Olympics

Milan Cortina games ended Sunday

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Gay French ice dancer Guillaume Cizeron, left, is among the LGBTQ athletes who medaled at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics that ended on Feb. 22, 2026. (Screenshot via NBC Sports/YouTube)

More than a dozen LGBTQ athletes won medals at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics that ended on Sunday.

Cayla Barnes, Hilary Knight, and Alex Carpenter are LGBTQ members of the U.S. women’s hockey team that won a gold medal after they defeated Canada in overtime. Knight the day before the Feb. 19 match proposed to her girlfriend, Brittany Bowe, an Olympic speed skater.

French ice dancer Guillaume Cizeron, who is gay, and his partner Laurence Fournier Beaudry won gold. American alpine skier Breezy Johnson, who is bisexual, won gold in the women’s downhill. Amber Glenn, who identifies as bisexual and pansexual, was part of the American figure skating team that won gold in the team event.

Swiss freestyle skier Mathilde Gremaud, who is in a relationship with Vali Höll, an Austrian mountain biker, won gold in women’s freeski slopestyle.

Bruce Mouat, who is the captain of the British curling team that won a silver medal, is gay. Six members of the Canadian women’s hockey team — Emily Clark, Erin Ambrose, Emerance Maschmeyer, Brianne Jenner, Laura Stacey, and Marie-Philip Poulin — that won silver are LGBTQ.

Swedish freestyle skier Sandra Naeslund, who is a lesbian, won a bronze medal in ski cross.

Belgian speed skater Tineke den Dulk, who is bisexual, was part of her country’s mixed 2000-meter relay that won bronze. Canadian ice dancer Paul Poirier, who is gay, and his partner, Piper Gilles, won bronze.

Laura Zimmermann, who is queer, is a member of the Swiss women’s hockey team that won bronze when they defeated Sweden.

Outsports.com notes all of the LGBTQ Olympians who competed at the games and who medaled.

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US wins Olympic gold medal in women’s hockey

Team captain Hilary Knight proposed to girlfriend on Wednesday

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(Public domain photo)

The U.S. women’s hockey team on Thursday won a gold medal at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

Team USA defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime. The game took place a day after Team USA captain Hilary Knight proposed to her girlfriend, Brittany Bowe, an Olympic speed skater.

Cayla Barnes and Alex Carpenter — Knight’s teammates — are also LGBTQ. They are among the more than 40 openly LGBTQ athletes who are competing in the games.

The Olympics will end on Sunday.

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Attitude! French ice dancers nail ‘Vogue’ routine

Cizeron and Fournier Beaudry strike a pose in memorable Olympics performance

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Team France's Guillaume Cizeron and Laurence Fournier Beaudry compete in the Winter Olympics. (Screen capture via NBC Sports and NBC News/YouTube)

Madonna’s presence is being felt at the Olympic Games in Italy. 

Guillaume Cizeron and his rhythm ice dancing partner Laurence Fournier Beaudry of France performed a flawless skate to Madonna’s “Vogue” and “Rescue Me” on Monday.

The duo scored an impressive 90.18 for their effort, the best score of the night.

“We’ve been working hard the whole season to get over 90, so it was nice to see the score on the screen,” Fournier Beaudry told Olympics.com. “But first of all, just coming out off the ice, we were very happy about what we delivered and the pleasure we had out there. With the energy of the crowd, it was really amazing.”

Watch the routine on YouTube here.

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