The Winter Olympics have certain events that viewers tune in for each year. There is no doubt that one fan favorite is pairs figure skating. Eastern Iowa will be watching especially close as Cedar Rapids native Timothy LeDuc with go for the gold along with partner Ashley Cain-Gribble.

The moment is huge for the city of Cedar Rapids. KWWL points out that LeDuc began skating at ImOn Ice Arena back when they were just 12 years old. LeDuc is also making Olympic history as the first non-binary Winter Olympic athlete in history. LeDuc uses they/them pronouns. To say that they are one of the favorites in Bejing would be an understatement as LeDuc and their partner are two-time U.S. National Champions.

Team USA Athlete Processing Ahead of Beijing 2022
Getty Images for USOPC
loading...

Tanya Street-Burgess was LeDuc's first coach when they began skating. She told KWWL that Cedar Rapids is "not a big area. Iowa is not a big skating area". Burgess added that having LeDuc be as successful as they are has added a big boost to the skating community in Eastern Iowa and the ice arena itself.

After spending time in Cedar Rapids, LeDuc later moved to Texas to seek out a specific pairs coach, according to KWWL. It was at that time that they were paired with Cain-Gribble. All that is left now is for all the years of training to pay off with a gold medal! You can watch Cedar Rapids native Timothy LeDuc and their partner Ashley Cain-Gribble in pairs figure skating this Friday morning at 4:30 a.m. Iowa time. The event will also be replayed during NBC's prime time coverage Friday night.

LOOK: 20 Fascinating Photos From the First Modern Olympic Games in 1896

To celebrate the history of international sports cooperation, Stacker took a look back at that groundbreaking event in Athens, when the modern Olympics were born in 1896. Keep reading to learn more about the athletes, spectators, and sports at that iconic event.

CHECK IT OUT: 100 sports records and the stories behind them

More From Q98.5