Out and golden, Mitcham dazzles Beijing
BEIJING (Reuters) - Matthew Mitcham did two surprising things in Beijing. He scooped a gold medal from the apparently invincible Chinese diving team and told anyone who asked that he is gay. Two years ago the 20-year-old was not even diving. He had retired, burnt out by years of dedication to a grueling sport, but came back for shot at gold.
"Everything, absolutely everything I have done, has been for this," he said. "Now it's happened and I never thought it would."
Mitcham broke down in tears after a nearly perfect last dive edged him above the Chinese favorite into top place.
It was the eighth and last medal in a sport that the host nation utterly dominates and was expected to sweep.
"Matthew Mitcham today was absolutely fantastic and I am so glad that a non-Chinese person won," said young British rival Thomas Daley, after the Australian's win raised the spirits of foreign divers who had seemed doomed to only second-best.
A non-athletic, rebellious kid, and still probably the only elite diver with a tongue piercing, Mitcham was talent-spotted by the then national coach when he was doing backflips into a public swimming pool.
He has battled depression and in 2006 left diving, but came back the next year determined to both win and have fun.
"I couldn't hear the crowd. In my mind I was saying 'just enjoy it'," he said of his last, magnificent, dive.
He is as fearless in his personal life as he is on the board.
Mitcham has been open about his sexuality, the only man among 10,500 Olympic athletes to publicly say he is gay, according to a study by a gay sports website.
Many gay athletes fear coming out could bring disapproval from fans and teammates or jeopardize sponsorship deals that are a vital source of funding, Outsports.com said.
They also worry unwanted media focus on their sexuality could deflect attention from their sporting achievements, and Mitcham has said he wants to be known only as a great Australian diver.
"Being gay and diving are completely separate parts of my life," he told journalists. "I'm happy with myself the way I am."
(Editing by Alex Richardson)
