Zack Leader, an openly gay gravity bike racer from England, has his sights set on this year’s world championships in Italy and he’s not shying away from what being an out athlete means.

“I think this is important for the LGBT community, too,” Leader said “We’re visible in a place we never were before and never looked like we were going to be before. Not only are we visible in terms of pure presence, I’m showing to the younger generations who don’t yet see or feel it that LGBT athletes can be competitive on the world stage.

“Tom Daley has shown that in diving, Adam Rippon in skating, Freddy Niblack in car racing, now me in gravity bike racing. The more visible we are, the competitive we become and the greater we inspire. This is an important event for the whole community.”

The world championships will be held in August in Teolo, Italy, where Leader will be one of the 10 racers vying for the title. If he wins, the 19-year-old Leader would be the youngest gravity bike champion in history.

“This is a huge opportunity for me to both show what I am capable of and to write history,” Leader said. “I know I am more than capable of winning a world title, I have both the determination and skill to be a real contender. My bike feels more than capable of winning and my team certainly are as they’ve done it three times before so it’s all down to me.”

Leader came out New Year’s Day on Instagram and it’s great that he’s embracing being out as he seeks a world title.