Out Olympian Jack Woolley just notched a major victory on the road to Paris 2024. The adorable (yet hard-hitting) Irishman won the 2023 Taekwondo Spanish Open in the flyweight division last weekend in Spain, defeating the current world champion to secure the title.
Woolley, who just missed out on reaching the podium at the Grand Prix Final in Saudi Arabia last December, will enter the Taekwondo World Championship next month with a lot of momentum on his side.
The 24-year-old made history as the first Irish athlete to qualify for the Olympics in taekwondo. He’s also the first out LGBTQ+ Olympian in his country’s history, though he’s previously expressed some regret about coming out publicly.
“I just wish I never labeled it. I still don’t like labeling it. People are just hell-bent on giving everyone labels nowadays,” he told the Irish website Extra in 2020. “They will say you are very flamboyant or whatever, but the thing is I kick people for a living.”
In that same interview, Woolley says some opponents refused to shake his hand after he publicly came out as bisexual.
But four years later, Woolley is still competing at an elite level, overcoming multiple obstacles along the way. His grandmother passed in 2018, and around that time, his father was also hospitalized with a severe case of meningitis. Woolley worked with a psychologist to get through the time period, according to Olympics.com.
The following year, Woolley won silver at the European Championships, and qualified for the Olympics. But unfortunately, he lost in the first round.
After the tournament, Woolley tried to put the loss in perspective, vowing to “have fun” and “put himself first.”
It seems like Woolley followed through on his promise. His personal Instagram page is filled with lovable pictures from his travels, including multiple posts celebrating his boyfriend.
Woolley doesn’t appear to regret being open about his sexuality anymore.
Shortly after returning home from Tokyo 2020, Woolley suffered a brutal attack on the streets of Dublin, and underwent lip reconstruction surgery. Sky Sports reported the group that attacked Woolley also assaulted other pedestrians that evening, suggesting it was a random attack.
Woolley publicly addressed the assault a week later, thanking his friends, family and fans for the support.
In what’s been a theme throughout Woolley’s young career, it didn’t take him long to bounce back. He won a gold medal in international competition just three months after the assault.
With a win at the Taekwondo Spanish Open, Woolley’s 2023 is off to an excellent start. We can’t wait to root him on as he attempts to qualify for his second Olympics. He’s shown there’s nothing he can’t handle.
Scroll down for some more pics of Woolley living his best life…
Darson
What a beast! A regular Jackie Mammoth!
(Let’s see who gets that) ?
abfab
Why are you trying to traumatize your readers with an emasciated young man on your front page? I’m very sorry, but this is………………I don’t have the words.
scotty
thirsty & hungry. please eat something, anything! i’ll treat at DQ or A&W
abfab
Let’s get him on an IV drip first.
johncp56
So good looking and my all time fav body type tight slender