At the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, China’s formidable men’s diving team was expected to make a clean sweep. Then came the 10-meter platform competition, and 20-year-old Australian underdog Matthew Mitcham pulled out a near perfect final dive—the highest single-dive score in Olympic history.
After learning he’d won the gold, Mitcham leapt into the stands to hug and kiss his boyfriend. He had come out publicly less than six months prior, and was one of only ten out gay Olympians at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Mitcham’s victory in the 10-meter dive was easily the highest profile win ever by an out gay man in an Olympic event. (While Greg Louganis was a diving star in the 1984 and ’88 games, he didn’t come out as gay until 1994.)
It was a powerful human interest story and yet, even though that kiss was captured by live video feed, NBC opted not to show it—or even Mitcham’s medal ceremony—in its Olympics telecast.
After his historic performance, Mitcham was inundated with letters from gay teens inspired by his athleticism and openness, an experience the gold medal winner described as “extremely humbling.
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