Adam Rippon grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, being bullied and feeling out of place.

Now, Rippon is on his way to the Olympics as the first openly gay man chosen to represent the U.S. in the Winter Games. He is also the oldest debut figure skater since 1936.

Here & Now's Robin Young speaks with Rippon (@Adaripp) about his road to the upcoming games.

“I think that in figure skating and in sports in general that when you're young, it's considered a huge advantage because you're fearless, and you also don't have bad past experiences,” Rippon says. “But with age comes experience, and I have found that my experience is a huge advantage to me as a competitor.”

Interview Highlights

On barely qualifying for the Olympics after a difficult free skate

"When I got off the ice of my free program, I only could think about what I had done over the past few years. I qualified for two Grand Prix finals, I was a U.S. champion, and the whole season I had been skating very well and had really great scores.

"And I just had these demons from ... national championships because I failed to qualify in 2010, and then I failed to qualify again in 2014. And then in the free skate I just had this feeling like, ‘Oh my god, I'm going to mess up again, I'm going to mess up again.’ And I was very fortunate that the Olympic committee oversaw that last skate and I was still the second man added to the team."

On what skating meant for him after being bullied for his sexuality

"When I found skating, it was something that was individual, and it was something that I could focus on being my best. And I loved the whole practice and I also loved performing. It was probably the first time I felt really good about myself and that I was good at something, because I always liked being athletic. I enjoyed playing the other sports. I just sucked at them."