sport news Transgender figure skater suffers epic fall at the European Figure Skating ... trends now
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The world's first transgender figure skater suffered a spectacular fall during the opening ceremony of the European Figure Skating Championships in Finland.
Former Finnish male skater, Markku-Pekka Antikainen, now known as Minna-Maaria Antikainen, had a rather eventful debut at this year's tournament despite only picking up the sport at age of 49.
The 57-year-old - a farm owner from Siilinjarvi - was provided with a solo act from the Finnish Figure Skating Association in the opening ceremony in efforts to promote diversity, equality and inclusion.
Minna-Maaria Antikainen, also known as Markku-Pekka, is the world's first transgender skater
The 57-year-old, who identifies as a gender neutral woman, needed assistance to get back up
However, nerves caught up to Antikainen.
The figure skater, who is believed to identify as a gender-neutral woman, according to Finnish news outlets, showed off their beginner's