Ski jumping star Stekala admits: I am me – a man of love!

Polish ski jumper Andrzej Stekala took a brave step today: he came out about his homosexuality in a moving Instagram post. After the loss of his partner in November, the 29-year-old felt encouraged to stand by his identity. "I don't want to hide who I am anymore. I am me - a man who has loved and still loves," emphasized Stekala in his emotional post, which shows a picture of him and his late partner. He demanded his audience's understanding and respect, stating, "My story deserves light, not shadow." krone.at reported.

In Poland, where the situation for the LGBTI+ community is tense, Stekala has lived in secret for a long time, mainly out of fear of jeopardizing his sporting opportunities. Amnesty International highlights the discriminatory situation for LGBTQ people in the country. In terms of sport, however, things aren't going as planned for the ski jumper at the moment. He was unable to get a place in the Polish squad at this year's Four Hills Tournament and was only used once in the current World Cup season in Wisla, but failed to qualify. His greatest successes to date are two bronze medals in the team competitions at the 2021 World Cup and the 2020 Ski Flying World Cup, reported eurosport.de.