LGBT 'icon' Adam Rippon savours Olympics moment
Adam Rippon put his hands over his face and let the cheers wash over.
He waved and smiled, and when the crowd kept clapping, he jumped where he stood and swung his arms to egg them on.
Ever the showman, and with his trademark grace and flair, Rippon took his final skate of the Winter Olympics.
He finished 10th, a fine result for a 28-year-old who was never expected to medal against a field populated by younger, higher-flying competition.
The self-proclaimed "icon" didn't need that hardware to leave his mark on the Games.
Or for the Olympics to leave its mark on him.
"They usually say that like, after the Olympic Games, somebody's life changes forever," Rippon said.
"A lot of times it's the gold medallist, but I have a feeling that my life has changed forever."
Rippon has been the headline-grabbing darling of PyeongChang 2018, a status earned in part with his near-flawless skating, but even more with his efforts off the ice.
He and skier Gus Kenworthy are America's only two openly gay male athletes, and they've flaunted their LGBT pride on social media throughout the Olympics.
Kenworthy and his boyfriend were in the stands to watch Rippon on Saturday, waving an American flag with rainbow patterning in place of red and white stripes.
Rippon said he plans to watch Kenworthy compete, too.
Rippon's path to Pyeongchang included a public spat with US vice president Mike Pence, whom the LGBT community considers an opponent.
In his Olympic debut, Rippon helped the Americans win a bronze medal in the team event, then put on a pair of clean skates in the individual competition.
He wouldn't say for sure that he's ready to retire from competition, but at 28, he seems unlikely to keep going much longer and this month has opened doors for Rippon.
He's given the world a taste of himself, and even after he's done skating, it's going to want more.
"I think I've shown the world that I'm a fierce competitor," he said.
"But I think I've shown them that I'm also a fierce human being."
