Adam Rippon is hanging up his skates ― competitively, at least ― for good.
Reflecting on his “crazy, wild [and] emotional” journey to the Winter Olympics earlier this year, Rippon nevertheless doubled down on earlier comments that he was retiring from competitive skating Monday as part of CBS’ “Note To Self” series.
“You, Adam, will make the Olympic team and skate on Olympic ice. It’ll be a moment you’ve been waiting for your entire life,” he said in a video accompanying the note, addressed to his younger self. “The world will see your character and they will embrace you for just being yourself.”
Watch a video of Rippon’s “Note To Self” below.
“You’ve become the role model that you wished you’d had as a kid,” he continued. “You will look in the mirror and finally see a winner looking back at you. Now go out and conquer the world.”
Since helping the U.S. win bronze in the team figure skating event in February, the 29-year-old has been keeping busy with public appearances and LGBTQ advocacy work. In September, he performed alongside Mary-Louise Parker and Samira Wiley in the Tectonic Theater Project’s reading of “The Laramie Project” honoring Matthew Shepard on the 20th anniversary of his death.
Rippon announced a GLAAD fundraising campaign in support of the organization’s LGBTQ youth programs in March, and two months later, he and his pro “Dancing With the Stars” partner, Jenna Johnson, won their season, which featured an all-athlete lineup of celeb competitors.
He’s slated to hit the small screen as a guest star on an episode of NBC’s “Will & Grace” later this year.
Fans, however, may still be able to catch Rippon on the ice in the future. Olympic veterans Johnny Weir and Nancy Kerrigan have been among those who’ve gone on to lucrative careers touring the world with various skating shows and exhibitions.