The 32-year-old athlete made history as the first openly gay man to win an Olympic gold medal
In an in-depth interview with BBC Sport, Matthew Mitcham discusses his coming out journey, revealing his experience with depression and addiction.
Mitcham’s journey started at a young age when he realized he liked boys while attending catholic primary school.
Due to societal views, and pressures from his classmates and teachers, the Olympic athlete tried to “train” the gay away.
“I was so scared of it that I would actually tie a rubber band around my wrist and every time I had a gay thought I would snap it to try and associate pain and suffering with the gay thought. To try and train myself out of being gay,” he revealed.
As a form of escape, Mitcham focused on diving, which helped him free his mind, but his dedication to the sport quickly took a self-destructive turn.
“Diving became this darkness which permeated the rest of my life. I really hated it, but I knew it was my one chance to be special, so I kept going effectively on autopilot,” he said.
Over the years he found himself getting involved in drugs and binge drinking in an effort to escape his thoughts and depression.
The post Matthew Mitcham opens up about his coming out journey and experience with depression appeared first on GAY TIMES.
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