Sports
Olympic Swimmer Comes Out After Silver Medal Win

AP Photo/David Goldman
Italian swimmer Rachele Bruni dedicated the win to her "beloved," girlfriendĀ Diletta Faina.
August 17 2016 12:36 PM EST
August 17 2016 12:43 PM EST
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Italian swimmer Rachele Bruni dedicated the win to her "beloved," girlfriendĀ Diletta Faina.
An Olympic medalist came out on the winners' podium in Rio when she dedicated her win to her "beloved."
Italian swimmer Rachele Bruni clarified to journalists that she was referring to girlfriend Diletta Faina in her remarks as she held up the silver medal she won in women's marathon swimming.
The Rio Olympics have hosted about 50 out gay and lesbian athletes--the most in the games' modern history. Queer couples have also taken the chance to pop the question during the games. But Bruni has so far been the first to use the games to come out officially.
Only this year, Italy passed a law granting same-sex couples the right to civil partnerships--but not full marriage--making the country one of the last in western Europe to provide legal recognition of same-sex unions.