Out Olympian Adam Rippon won “‘Dancing with The Stars: Athletes” on Monday night.
After three weeks of fierce inter-athletic competition, LGBTQ icon Rippon managed to keep the much-coveted Mirrorball trophy from his competitors.
The teams opposing Rippon and dance partner Jenna Johnson consisted of former Olympian figure skater Tonya Harding (and dance partner Sasha Farber) and NFL athlete Josh Norman (with his dance partner Sharna Burgess).
After the three teams went toe-to-toe in the finale, the Rippon-Johnson pairing claimed the title. The Rippon team won applause–and points–for a daring freestyle performance.
Harding publicly stated that Rippon “absolutely” deserved to win: “They brought it home every week and Adam is wonderful,” she told Entertainment Tonight.
Rippon, the first openly gay American Winter Olympian, was visibly moved by the triumph. The Mirrorball also represents a victory for Johnson, who has performed on the show for the past two seasons.