Out figure skater Adam Rippon told
PEOPLE Now that his mother is his hero.
“My hero is definitely my mom,”
Rippon said.
The 28-year-old credited his mother
with his success.
“I think the greatest lesson that
I've taken away from my mom is to never limit your dreams. Having
that mentality has kind of led me to where I am right now,” Rippon
said.
“[She] has given up so much so that I
could achieve my dreams, and I'm so appreciative of that,” he
added.
Rippon was the first openly gay U.S.
male athlete to medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang,
South Korea.
He told PEOPLE Now that his
mother was unfazed when he told her he was gay.
“My mom looked at me and said, 'I
know,' and I was like, 'You did?' She's like, 'Yeah you were inside
me for nine months and I'm your mom and I know everything,'” Rippon
said.
(Related: Adam
Rippon to judge Dancing
with the Stars: Juniors.)