Ready, set, come out.

Two prominent Canadian athletes have come out but in dramatically different ways. For Olympic gold medal--winner Mark Tewksbury, the choice to announce his orientation came after he was dropped from a six-figure contract as spokesman for a financial institution for being "too openly gay."

Tewksbury, who won the 100-meter backstroke at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, came out December 15 on Canadian TV and discussed the pain of living a closeted life. He also said that being gay pushed him to try harder to succeed in swimming.

Two-time Olympic silver-medalist figure skater Brian Orser's disclosure, on the other hand, was far less voluntary. Despite attempts by Orser's lawyers to keep confidential the details of a palimony suit filed by a former lover of Orser's, an Ontario court made the case public in November. Consequently, Orser, who had never before discussed his sexual orientation publicly, became openly gay.

At his first public skating performance after the outing, Orser said he was heartened by the tremendously supportive response he received from the public.