Blake Skjellerup

Blake Skjellerup (born 13 June 1985 in Christchurch, New Zealand) is a short track speed skater who competed for New Zealand at the 2010 Winter Olympics;[2] finishing sixteenth.[3]

Blake Skjellerup
Personal information
Born (1985-06-13) 13 June 1985
Christchurch, New Zealand
Height1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight71 kg (157 lb)
Websiteblakeskjellerup.com
Sport
CountryNew Zealand
SportSpeed skating
ClubHauraki Ice Racing Club
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals16th, 1000m Vancouver 2010
Highest world ranking11th, 1000m [1]

Sporting career

Skjellerup began speed skating at the age of 10 in Christchurch after an injury from roller blading forced him to stop playing rugby union for a season. His brother introduced him to speed skating to keep him active. Blake quickly took to the sport and began spending as much time as he could in skates. In short track Blake had found not only has passion but something that he was good at.

In his career he has won five New Zealand national titles and broken numerous national records throughout his career. Skjellerup currently holds 3 New Zealand individual records in the 500, 1000, 1500 meter event, and 1 record in the 5000m men's relay.

He attempted to qualify for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia[4][5] but was not selected.

Skjellerup is currently living in Sydney, Australia.[6]

Personal life

Skjellerup is of Danish and Māori (Ngāti Pāmoana) descent. In 2003 he was awarded the Junior Māori Sportsman at that years Māori Sports Awards.

Skjellerup came out as gay in an interview with Australian magazine DNA in May 2010, saying he had decided to wait until after the Vancouver Games to do so in order to focus on his performance and to avoid turning off potential sponsors.[7] He is one of only a few openly gay Olympic athletes and was reported at the time as having a partner, also an athlete.[6][8]

In 2011, Skjellerup and Matthew Mitcham, a gay Olympic athlete from Australia, were named by the Federation of Gay Games as ambassadors to the 2014 Gay Games in Cleveland, Ohio.[9] Skjellerup also became an advocate for Pink Shirt Day, a nationwide campaign to fight bullying in New Zealand.[10] In 2014 he appeared in the documentary film To Russia with Love.[11]

In July 2015, Skjellerup married his boyfriend, lifestyle blogger Saul Carrasco, in Hawaii.[12][13] However, based on Skjellerup's Snapchat posts the couple has separated or divorced.

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References
  1. "Beijing World Cup". Archived from the original on 3 December 2008.
  2. "Vancouver 2010 Profile". Archived from the original on 8 April 2010.
  3. "Blake Skjellerup struggles with skating pace". New Zealand Press Association. Stuff.co.nz. 22 February 2010. Retrieved 9 May 2010.
  4. "About Blake". BlakeSkjellerup.com. 2011. Archived from the original on 29 December 2011. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
  5. "Send out gay speed skater Blake Skjellerup to the World Cup and Olympics". indiegogo.com. 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  6. Zacharias, Yvonne (2 August 2010). "New Zealand Olympian Blake Skjellerup embraces coming out". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
  7. "Kiwi Olympian reveals he is gay". New Zealand Press Association. Television New Zealand. 6 May 2010. Archived from the original on 9 May 2010. Retrieved 9 May 2010.
  8. Buzinski, Jim (5 May 2010). "New Zealand Olympian comes out". Out Sports. Archived from the original on 24 January 2012. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
  9. Hernandez, Greg (28 June 2011). "Gay Olympians Matthew Mitcham and Blake Skjellerup named an ambassadors to 2014 Out Games". Greg in Hollywood. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
  10. "Gay New Zealand Olympian Speed Skater Blake Skjellerup Launches Anti-Bullying Campaign". Towleroad. 5 April 2011. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
  11. "‘To Russia With Love’: Can Johnny Weir Save Russia’s Gays?". Daily Beast, 29 October 2014.
  12. "Exclusive: Blake Skjellerup Talks About His Husband, His Hawaii Wedding, And How Marriage Equality Is Changing The World".
  13. Hinzmann, Dennis. "Blake Skjellerup Shares Wedding Photos on Instagram". Out.
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