Speedskater Conor McDermott-Mostowy ended last year on a high note, capturing three medals at the U.S. National Championships. And this year, he’s picking up right where he left off. With his boyfriend in attendance to boot!
McDermott-Mostowy set a personal record during the ISU World Cup Speed Skating in Salt Lake City over the weekend. He finished fifth in the men’s Division A 1,000 meters event with a time of 1 minute, 06.91 seconds, the first time he’s ever skated the race in under 1:07.
The decorated Team USA member celebrated his accomplishment on Instagram. He missed the last World Cup in America due to illness, making his triumph Sunday even sweeter.
How about we take this to the next level?
Subscribe to our newsletter for a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
“What a weekend! Finally got to skate a World Cup on home ice in Salt Lake City after missing the last one in 2021 due to a serious bout of norovirus, and it was more than I could have expected,” he posted. “It was amazing to get to skate at home in front of a crowd with my family, boyfriend, and his family there to watch.”
Finishing the 1,000-meter race in under 1:07 is no joke. Only three other U.S. skaters have ever accomplished that feat. But for McDermott-Mostowy, the team’s success is most important.
“I also got to watch my team pursuit teammates set a new world record in the race, 3:33.66, and therefore clinch the overall TP World Cup title for the third year in a row,” he wrote. “I’m glad I could play a small part in the success of the team and am grateful for the opportunity to suffer and win together.”
You can see the joy in his face, even with his sunglasses and head covering.
McDermott-Mostowy was already trending upwards prior to last weekend’s big race. At the U.S. National Championships in November, he took home bronze medals in the 1000-meter and 1500-meter, and silver in the mass start.
“I’m very pleased with the weekend,” he told Outsports. “It was close to as well-skated a weekend as I could have asked for. I haven’t felt this good on the ice since before the 2022 Olympic season.”
The 25-year-old Olympic hopeful publicly came out in style two years ago, after winning two titles at the 2021 U.S. Championships. It was the best season of his young career.
While McDermott-Mostowy was out among family, friends and his fellow speedskaters for years, he told Outsports he used to shy away from discussing his sexuality. The medal-winner didn’t want to pigeonhole himself to a stereotype.
“I don’t want to talk about being gay, because there’s a stereotype that gay guys aren’t athletic, and I don’t want that to be held against me or used to justify a bad result,” he said. “I’ve been uncomfortable with that.
“But I feel like at this point, no one can say anything.”
That’s true! McDermott-Mostowy keeps raking up medals, all while sharing pictures of his wonderful life. He and his BF make for an adorable couple.
It took McDermott-Mostowy years to arrive at this point, which probably explains why he doesn’t take his success for granted.
For a long time he labored in short track and on Junior World Teams before finding his home in the long track circuit (skaters race against the clock in a time trial format in long track, whereas they compete against each other over multiple rounds in short track).
“This year I have achieved every goal I had,” he wrote on Instagram around the time of his public coming out.
It’s apparent that McDermott-Mostowy, and his blonde locks, train hard.
Impressively, McDermott-Mostowy isn’t content just being visible in the world of speed skating. Last year, he participated in the AIDS/LifeCycle ride, a 545-mile cycling tour that starts in San Francisco and ends in Los Angeles.
The event raises funds for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and Los Angeles LGBT Center.
“I had no idea the impact the ride would actually have on me,” he said. “Being a gay man in sports can be isolating, and living in Utah doesn’t provide a large vibrant gay community to be a part of, so participating in the ride was a surreal and profoundly energizing experience.”
With the 2026 Winter Games in two years, McDermott-Mostowy still has plenty of time to prepare for his Olympic dreams. We’ll be watching, and his boyfriend will be, too.
Discover more
