Eric Radford owns the complete set of Olympic medals — gold, silver and bronze — not to mention two figure skating world titles with his longtime pairs partner Meagan Duhamel.

But the Rad in Du-Rad is known for more than on-ice perfection. The first openly gay male Winter Olympian to win a gold medal, Eric has become an important voice and leader in the fight against homophobia in sports.

As a young figure skater in Red Lake, Ont., Radford knew he loved his sport — he just didn't understand why he had to run a gauntlet of taunts and name calling just to get into the arena to practise. On this week's edition of the Player's Own Voice podcast, Eric tells host Anastasia Bucsis how he's using his platform to lead and inspire young athletes who may be facing a similar struggle. Eric also open up about mental health, bullying and his quiet determination to excel at whatever he does, whether it's skating, composing music or activism.

Radford is the latest Canadian Olympian to share his story on the POV podcast, which takes a "human first, athlete second" look at the show's guests. Like our Player's Own Voice essay series, the POV podcast gives athletes an unfiltered way to speak to Canadians on topics that run from the lighthearted to the profound.

Player's Own Voice is available free on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Tune In or wherever you get your podcasts.