Eric Radford is always evolving.
The beloved figure skater is turning his focus to coaching, and says he now views his sport from an entirely different angle. Radford accompanied Team Canada to the recent Pan Am Games, serving as the club’s unofficial mentor and confidante (the formal title is “athletic service officer”).
“[I now have] a totally different perspective on the behind-the-scenes of our sport,” he told Olympics.com. “I’ve realized that as an athlete, my vision of my sport is very linear, and very selfish, as well.”
Radford, the first out gay man Winter Olympian to win a gold medal, says his conversation with freestyle skier Maxime Dufour-Lapointe at the Beijing Games was a turning point. At the time, she was Canada’s athletic service officer.
“It was just the two of us in the lounge and we started talking about the more philosophical, spiritual side of sport,” he said. “And how that all fits into our life, how it shaped us as people. It was a very special and memorable moment.”
It appears as if Radford enjoyed his experience as a mentor. He toasted to the host city, Santiago, Chile, on Instagram this week.
Look at that salt ‘n’ pepper!
OK, zaddy…
While we would love some hands-on tutelage from Radford, we suppose Canada’s up-and-coming figure skaters could use it more. With a nearly 20-year career under his belt and three Olympic medals, he has a lot of expertise to share.
“I’ve really liked having that bird’s eye view and seeing the structure of things and being able to use my athletic experience to offer my perspective on the best way to go about these things,” he said.
Radford publicly came out in December 2014. There were only seven out gay Olympians at the Winter Games in Sochi.
He took home silver from those Games, and when he returned to the ice as an out gay man in 2018, he won gold. He and his partner, Meagan Duhamel, also captured a bronze medal.
In a seminal moment, Radford celebrated his gold medal win with Adam Rippon, who won bronze in the same event.
There wasn’t a single out gay male competitor at the 2014 Games. Four years later, two of them were holding medals.
Following the 2018 Games, Radford married his now-husband, Luis Fenero, and stepped away from the ice for a couple of years. It’s apparent they enjoy a loving relationship, and special bond.
Radford returned to pairs figure skating competition in 2021, training for his third Olympics with a new partner, Vanessa James. He stepped away for good following the 2022 Games.
The 38-year-old says he isn’t mulling a comeback, for what it’s worth.
“[We would need] a time machine where I could go back in time and be, like, 10 years younger,” he said.
Oh no! Believe us, Eric: that’s not necessary! We’ll take a Salt ‘N’ Pepper God over a skinny twink any day of the week.
We’ve been fans of Radford’s for years, but his seductive underwear photo shoot earlier this year really stole our hearts.
There’s something so sexy about a man who’s, well, sexy!
In his time away from the camera, Radford is changing figure skating for the better. He was integral in Canada’s recent decision to raise the minimum age for International Skating Union events from 15-17.
“I pose the question: Is a medal worth risking the health of a child or a young athlete?,” he said.
Some athletes struggle to fill the void in their lives once they retire from sport. But Radford appears to be thriving.
“I have found [coaching] challenging but extremely rewarding, and I think I’m starting to learn more about myself,” he said.
We love to watch Radford… succeed.
Discover more
