Skater Adam Rippon Captivates Audiences

Despite being much older and a self-admittedly poorer jumper than most of his competitors, 28-year-old American figure skater, Adam Rippon, continues to draw the media and public alike.

Rippon, who is the first-ever openly gay athlete in the winter Olympics, first made headlines for his criticism of Vice President Mike Pence leading the U.S. Olympic Delegation. A back-and-forth Twitter debate then erupted between Rippon and the Vice President’s press team.

Following the media frenzy from the dispute, Rippon was catapulted into the spotlight. He has received an outpour of support from fans and celebrities including Reese Witherspoon and Britney Spears.

Most notably, Rippon drew an overwhelming number of retweets and support for his Internet post in response to hateful comments. “To all those who tweet at me saying that they “hope I fail”, I have failed many times many times in my life. But more importantly, I’ve learned from every setback, proudly own up to my mistakes, grown from disappointments, and now I’m a glamazon bitch ready for the runway,” he wrote.

When asked about his newfound stardom, Rippon jokingly said, “I’m America’s sweetheart.”