After plenty of curiosity and speculation, Olympic star Adam Rippon has finally confirmed that he does, in fact, have a boyfriend. He told People magazine earlier this month that he was off the market — Rippon is dating Jussi-Pekka Kajaala, of Finland. The magazine states that Kajaala is not a skater like he is, so how did Adam Rippon and his boyfriend meet?
According to People, the couple connected in a seriously relatable way — on Tinder. The two had "been talking for the past seven months" before they “started to hang out a little bit more, because we were both really busy," Rippon said in the same article, adding that they made it official a week or two prior to the interview — so, presumably in late March.
The bronze medalist has always been pretty open with the details of his love life, and previously talked to People about his decision to break things off with his last longterm boyfriend before he hit the Olympics for a third time this year. “This was my third Olympic cycle and I was like, ‘I cannot have any regrets,'" Rippon said of the breakup. "Everything was great with him, he was a great guy, but I felt like I really needed to focus on myself." It doesn't sound like a particularly messy breakup, thankfully, though. "I was lucky that my ex-boyfriend is such a nice person that we’re still friends now," Rippon added in the same article.
It's super sweet that Rippon's found someone he's happy with, especially since he's said in the past that he wasn't going to force anything. "I think in the last few months I’ve been so focused on myself that in a way, I think that if I am to meet somebody I want it to happen organically," he said in the same People article, conducted in early March, presumably before he and Kajaala were "official."
He went on to say that he wanted a relationship that inspired him, and wasn't going to settle for anything less than that just in the name of not being single. "I think a lot of people are afraid to be single and I fully embraced it, because I have really invested a lot of time into thinking about: What do I want to do?" he continued. "What’s important to me? What gives me the most energy? What inspires me the most? If I can meet a guy that falls into that and is supportive of that, that’s great."
It seems like things are going well for the new couple, with Rippon sharing cute photos the two of them on his Instagram and Kajaala doing the same. Fans are, unsurprisingly, swarming both men's comment sections with heart emojis and well-wishes, so they've already got a pretty substantial support system behind them.
Rippon soon appears on yet another televised competition, as he takes his skating prowess to Dancing With The Stars for the show's upcoming all-athlete season, so it's great that he's got someone special in his corner as he takes on this new endeavor.
According to Mic, Rippon's first endeavor on the show will be to an iconic number — RuPaul's "Sissy That Walk" — along with his 24-year-old partner, dancer Jenna Johnson. That's quite a first impression to make, and Rippon's already proven that he's got the impeccable control over his body necessary to become a great dancer — figure skating isn't that far off from dancing in some aspects, at least in terms of the strength and grace needed for both.
It's likely that Rippon will make a huge splash in the competition, and now he can compete knowing that Kajaala is rooting from the sidelines.
