Andrzej Stekala, an elite ski jumper from Poland who won a World Championships bronze medal in 2021, has come out as gay on social media, in a post also mourning the loss of his long-term partner.
Writing on Instagram on New Year’s Day, the sports star said: “I want you to meet my true self. I am gay. I have kept this fact a secret for years — from you, from the media and sometimes even from myself.”
Stekala added that he was hiding his sexuality while in a long-term relationship with “the person who changed my life — he was my pillar, my support, and my biggest fan”.
The accompanying reel, featuring photos from their holidays together, is a moving tribute to his partner, Damian, who the ski jumper says was “lost… last November.”
The 29-year-old sportsman wrote: “I cannot find the words to describe the pain I have been feeling ever since that fatal day.
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“The world we had been building together fell to pieces. Every day without him is a fight, but also a reminder of how unconditionally I loved and was loved.”
While Stekala is currently outside the “A team” of Polish ski jumpers, he says he is hoping for better fortunes in 2025.
“Today, on the 1st of January, I am starting a new chapter,” he wrote on Instagram.
“I do not want to hide who I am anymore. I am myself — a human being who loved and still loves. I know that he [Damian] would want me to go on living at peace with myself.
“I ask for your understanding and respect. My story is a story of love which deserves light, not darkness.
“I wish to thank those of you who were by my side over the years, especially my family and closest friends. It is in you where I find my strength to open up.
“I will carry his name in my heart till the end of my days.
“I wish you all love and courage in the coming year.”
