Mitcham takes gold

Mitcham takes gold

Update: Matthew Mitcham has won a gold medal for Australia in the men’s 10 metre platform diving in Beijing.

The 20-year-old offered an incredible 112.10 final dive to beat the Chinese hope Zhou Luxin who had led the competition until that point.

Fellow Australian Mathew Helm came 6th in the final. Helm took silver at Athens in 2004.

Yesterday:

Matthew Mitcham, Australian Olympic diver and the only out gay man at the Beijing Games, has placed second in the preliminary round of the men’s 10 metre platform.

Fellow Australian Mathew Helm is also a strong contender into the semifinal round, placing 5th of 30 competitors.

The semifinal will be held at 12-noon AEST Saturday, with the final later that day at 10pm AEST.

After failing to make the finals in the earlier 3 metre springboard event Mitcham said he had suffered from anxiety, but saw better prospects for his favourite event, the 10 metre platform.

“If I just do what I normally do I should make the final, that should be no problem,” Mitcham told reporters in Beijing.

Australians can send message of support to our athletes via hero.telstra.com/olympics.

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29 responses to “Mitcham takes gold”

  1. 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

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. …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.

  5. 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.

  6. 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

  7. 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. :-)

  8. 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.

  9. 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.

  10. 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.

  11. 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.

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

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

  14. 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!

  15. 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!

  16. 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.

  17. 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!!

  18. Well done Matty, your hard work and determination has paid off. Nice to see your family and BF celebrating this incredible achievement.

  19. YAY!!!! Pity Seven cut from the men’s diving to show the wimmin’s synchronised swimming though.

  20. Congratulations Matty…you’ve certainly made us proud, your determination and attitude were so evident throughout the whole competition…how many young and indeed older gay guys have had their lives made easier by your success…Good On You!!!!!!

  21. What a champion, what a class act, the neighbours down the road must have heard us screaming – he brought tears to my eyes. This guy is amazing on several levels.

    We salute you Mathew, congrats and thank you for letting us share with you as you made history. I admire your strength!

  22. Congratulations, Matthew Mitcham! You showed courage and class by putting together an outstanding effort. Thank-you!