Matthew Mitcham - Inside Winning the Gold Medal

Matthew Mitcham is the first openly gay athlete to win gold at the Olympics. Matthew has represented Australia in Diving and Trampolining throughout his professional career.

Matthew had a challenging childhood, having been raised by a single mother who battled several mental health issues. At just five years old, Matthew realised his sexuality. However, social stigma, harassment and his Catholic school setting left him feeling alienated and ashamed of his personality.

This led to battles with depression and anxiety throughout his teenage years, as the struggle of reconciling his true authentic self with his burgeoning career grew more difficult. While diving provided an escape, illicit drugs and alcohol emerged as a darker coping method.

At the age of 18, Mitcham had taken a brief break from diving. During this period he focused on his recovery, and growing his confidence within himself.

In 2007, Mitcham received a call from then his former diving coach Salvador Sobrino asking whether he wanted to start diving again. That call turned out to be a significant turning point in his life, relocating from Brisbane to Sydney reignite his diving career.

Before the 2008 Olympics, Mitcham, with family and friends' support, used an article to publicly announce his sexuality. This resulted in a positive response and a large amount of support from the community.

Beijing 2008 is where history took place.

With the final routine of the Men’s 10m platform event, Mitcham had broken the record and produced a 112 dive score to win his first ever gold medal. In doing so, he became the first ever openly gay male to win gold at the Olympics.

Elite sport can be a brutal rollercoaster.

Post-2008 Olympic campaign, Mitcham was shocked to discover he was ranked #2 in the world behind fellow Chinese diver Zhou Luxin who had won more events earlier in the year. Mitcham saw himself losing self-esteem and not feeling like a champion only days after winning his first gold medal.

This saw him re-enter the darkness of depression and anxiety, once again turning to the use of illicit drugs and alcohol. This relapse saw Mitcham’s career begin to spiral, however with the support of family and friends he began to get back on his feet, beginning by admitting himself into rehab.

In spite of numerous setbacks, in 2010 an impressive campaign saw him ranked #1 in the world. However, injuries saw him fall cruelly short at the 2012 London Olympics.

Mitcham would then compete in the 2014 Commonwealth Games adding another title to his resume. In 2016, Mitcham would ultimately retire from the sport and focus on his media and entertainment career.

In 2022, Matthew announced that he would be six years sober from drugs and alcohol.

Mitcham currently plays an integral part in the Australian LGBTQI+ community, serving as an advocate and facilitator for the Australian Institute of Sport where he works closely with the Thrive with Pride Program and the Respectable Behaviour’s Program.

Matthew Mitcham is available through Pickstar to speak to businesses, schools and clubs about gender equality and LGBTQI+ issues, and to work with brands for brand ambassadorships and social campaigns.

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