Adam Rippon

Career

Rippon started skating at age ten, brought to the rink by his mother. He was coached by Yelena Sergeeva from 2000 to 2007. In the 2004–05 season, he won the silver medal at the Novice level at the 2005 U.S. Championships and gold in the junior division at the Triglav Trophy in Slovenia. He debuted on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit in the 2005–06 season, placing 6th in Croatia and 11th at the junior level at the 2006 U.S. Championships.

After placing 6th at the junior level at the 2007 U.S. Championships, he left Sergeeva and began working with Nikolai Morozov in February 2007. In the 2007–08 season, he won gold at the Harghita Cup and silver at the Sofia Cup, qualifying for the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final, where he won gold and became the first man to break 200 points at a junior competition. He won the junior title at the 2008 U.S. Championships and gold at the 2008 Junior Worlds.

2009–10 season

Moving to the senior level in 2008–09, he placed eighth at Skate America and fifth at the Cup of Russia. In late November 2008, he left Morozov and moved to Toronto to train with Brian Orser. At the 2009 U.S. Championships, his senior national debut, he placed seventh, then won his second Junior World title. In the 2009–10 season, he won bronze at the 2009 Trophée Eric Bompard, finished 5th at the 2010 U.S. Championships, and won gold at the 2010 Four Continents Championships after placing 7th in the short program and first in the free skate.

He placed 6th overall at the 2010 World Championships. In the 2010–11 season, he won bronze at Skate Canada and finished 4th at Skate America. At the 2011 U.S. Championships, he finished 5th. In the 2011–12 season, he finished 4th at Skate Canada and 4th at Trophée Bompard, won silver at the 2012 U.S. Championships, and finished 13th at Worlds.

2014–15 season

In the 2012–13 season, he finished 4th at the Cup of China and 8th at the NHK Trophy, and placed 5th at the 2013 U.S. Championships. In the 2013–14 season, he won silver at Skate America, finished 4th at the NHK Trophy, and placed 8th at the 2014 U.S. Championships, failing to qualify for the 2014 Olympic team. In the 2014–15 season, he finished second overall at the 2014 CS Finlandia Trophy, 10th at Skate Canada, and 5th at the 2014 Trophee Eric Bompard.

2017–18 season: Pyeongchang Olympics

Rippon competed at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, where he finished 10th and won bronze in the team event.

Personal life

Rippon was born on November 11, 1989, in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the first child in his family of six children. His parents divorced in 2004. He attended a Catholic elementary school, Our Lady of Peace. In 2018, Rippon became the first openly gay U.S. athlete to qualify for the Winter Olympics and the first openly gay U.S. athlete to win a medal at the Winter Games.

Later that year, Rippon won season 26 of Dancing with the Stars with professional dancer Jenna Johnson. He guest-hosted RuPaul's Drag Race season 11 in 2019 ("The Draglympics"), starred in MTV's comedy series Messyness in 2021, and was the winner of the 2023 reality competition series Stars on Mars on Fox. Rippon joined NBC for the 2024 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, providing broadcast analysis alongside fellow figure skater and former training mate Ashley Wagner.

Rippon was named to the 2018 edition of Time Magazine's annual Time 100 list of the 100 most influential people. He released his memoir, Beautiful on the Outside, in October 2019.

Did You Know?

• He is the first single skater to win two World Junior titles (2008, 2009).
• Rippon collided with Patrick Chan during a morning practice before the short program at the 2010 Skate Canada International.