Comments on: Mitcham takes gold

By: Barry D

Barry D — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 03:42:47 +0000

Fantastic…I always knew the final dive would be tough but you seem to excel at producing fantastic results from difficult dives…an almost perfect score and I cannot see how anyone will gett 114 for a dive!!

What’s even better is that you stopped the clean sweep…next Olympics you’ll reduce those nerves and get to the final of the 3m.

Congrats once again..what an amazing and inspiring journey for us all.

Thanks for the grit, determination and emotion.

Great stuff….even if we were only allowed to watch a few dives through poor coverage on Channel 7!

Baz

By: Wally

Wally — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 08:21:56 +0000

And where would you be without your mum – and Lachlan – and Johnson & Johnson. Thanks for the balance, the gold, the unashamed presentation of the loves of your life and the most amazing performance of Beijing 2008 for me.

On behalf of Freezone Volleyball, where G & L sport is promoted; congratulations on a wise head on young shoulders. Have a ball, love the fame, and we can’t wait to see you in future diving competitions in the lead up to London.

Come on Aussie, take on the world and win.

you’re a true champ,

Wally.

By: Alex (Sydney)

Alex (Sydney) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 06:28:25 +0000

Along with all the words of support and congratulations mentioned on this forum…Well Done!!!! It was a tear jurker and it made me even more proud to be Australian and Gay. What a fantastic climax to a long road for you Matthew…cant wait to see you win gold in London.

By: peter robertson

peter robertson — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 01:05:44 +0000

An anonymous donation IN HONOR OF MATTHEW MITCHAM has been made to the Bulldog Pride Scholarship Fund at Fresno State. ~ Give today. For tomorrow and beyond. ~ http://www.bulldogpride.org

By: Kevin

Kevin — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 01:02:50 +0000

Congratulations to our gay hero Matthew!!!!

By: shayne

shayne — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:16:10 +0000

…and kudos to Johnson & Johnson’s support program to lend financial help to families of athletes.

The J&J’s Athlete Family Support Program donated a $5,000 travel grant to enable Lachlan to be there.

By: Jon

Jon — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:40:54 +0000

Well done Matthew. You were the highlight of the Beijing Olympics for me. Your sincerity and warmth showed throughout the competition. You winning the gold medal will be a memory I’ll be treasuring for some time yet. Congratulations.

By: Geoffrey Radford

Geoffrey Radford — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 08:39:15 +0000

Thanks SSO for your continued support and getting the news about Matthew out to our community so quickly. Even though the next edition doesn’t hit the streets till Thursday you are right there with such an important update.

This is indeed wonderful news and I am sure that there were many of us watching on the TV keeping our fingers crossed. For an Olympican debut he showed incredible control over those ever present nerves and kept himself in control till after that incredible final dive.

Our congratulations go to him along with his partner Lachlan and his family who were lucky enough to be presentand share with him this triumph.

Team Sydney and the Sydney Convicts hosted an evening last Saturday where tribute to Matthews’ success to date was celebrated and those who were lucky enough to stay on afterwards and witness the dive on TV erupted with pride.

President
Team Sydney

By: Roger

Roger — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 08:24:53 +0000

Well done mate. That was an awesome dive. U were a pleasure 2 watch and your raw emotion was really powerful & inspiring. U have more courage than u probably realise and u have done us really proud. Keep it real & gutsy effort 4 being yourself. U should b very proud of what u have done & how u did it. Your sexuality is not an issue. U r a gem. :-)

By: Paul

Paul — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 02:51:24 +0000

God Matt, you led us on an emotional roller coaster. The whole street must have heard our screaming & cheering with every dive. And believe me, you don’t know what crying was after that last one! Our house didn’t sleep for hours afterwards.

Hold onto that Man – Lachlan must really be special for being with you through thick and thin. Not to mention your gorgeous Mum!

Glad you could show the world what a true champion is; and actually – so what you’re gay – more importantly, you are proud of who you are and the people who love and support you. Count me as another – albeit from another generation of gay sports people.

Paul.

By: James

James — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 01:12:38 +0000

Congratulations Matthew. What a champion!

By: Angus

Angus — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:23:44 +0000

Anytime Brian McFadden wants to take on Matthew in diving competition, let me know. I will happily buy tickets to see a man of grace and pride be everything that an ignorant Irish git is not. Well done, Matthew – hope you heard the cheers from our place.

By: shayne

shayne — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:15:06 +0000

True Peter, I think Mitcham deserves gold just for overcoming depression; I know a lot of sufferers for whom it is totally debillitating. But to be the only man among 10,500 Olympic athletes to publicly say he is gay is also heroic considering it will probably cost him quite a bit in sponsorship and other opportunities. After all, mainstream Australia is still so homophobic, Nine news couldn’t even call Lachlan his partner but kept referring to him coyly as, ‘a friend.’ So on so many levels, the greatest of which is this guy’s amazing sporting skill, Mitcham is a true champ.

By: Peter

Peter — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 23:43:02 +0000

Like many gay people, I glowed with pride at Matthew Mitcham’s stunning victory in winning the diving gold medal. Yet his tears immediately afterwards were perhaps a deeper indication of his fantastic achievements. He’d overcome depression and anxiety, something all too prevalent within our community, found enormous strength in a loving and supportive partner and held it all together to complete an almost perfect example of his diving skill.

He is indeed a role model, especially in his resilience and tenacity to overcome the odds. Matthew, I wish you continued success in your life; you’ve earned it.

By: Marcus

Marcus — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 23:32:47 +0000

I was on the Shift when he performed that amazing dive. The whole place was cheering and clapping. Good on you mate!

By: Count Xavier

Count Xavier — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 18:48:02 +0000

Congrad MATT U HUNT WOOFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF,
I alway love Aussie R so HOT but U MATT U SIZZLE .

By: Andres

Andres — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 14:19:24 +0000

Bravo Matthew! You have made us proud. Just by the gracious way you faced being the only gay in the (Olympic) Village you were already a role model to all of us. And now, you’re an example on how gay men don’t have to hide to be successful in sport. I salute you and wish you many more victories and happy moments. You’re a hero!

By: Ghassan

Ghassan — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 08:44:41 +0000

I was incredibly moved by Matthew’s performance and his honesty in the press, before and after the Gold.

Golden smile, golden hair and a golden performance!

Congratulations, Matt!

By: Andrewp

Andrewp — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 08:11:45 +0000

Congratulations Matt you have done everyone proud in your display of sportsmanship, professionalism and the wonderful achievement of being the best in your chosen sport. All the best. Enjoy this moment.

By: a bulgarian gay man

a bulgarian gay man — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 06:19:44 +0000

Dearest Matthew, thank you so much for winning this gold medal and making gay history!! Thank you for your courage to come out and to be a proud gay Olympian!!