Matthew Mitcham has a simple, straightforward goal for this summer's Gay Games in Cologne, Germany.
"To have more fun than anybody else … I set myself very high goals," Mitcham said in an exclusive interview.
Yep, the Australian Olympic gold medal-winning diver will make his Gay Games debut in July—as an ambassador, not a competitor.
The Gay Games, he said, are a combination of "my two favorite things in life: sport and homosexuality."
Mitcham, 22, born in Brisbane, captured Olympic glory in Beijing in 2008 on the 10-meter platform, receiving the highest single-dive score in Olympic history. He is the first Australian male to win an Olympic gold medal in diving since 1924.
"I will be maintaining my training while I'm there [ in Cologne ] , but as far as other sports [ offered in Cologne ] , I think I'll leave [ that ] to the experts," he said.
Mitcham said he was given the green light to attend the Games by his coach, a.k.a., "the boss."
"My priorities in Cologne are training and fulfilling my ambassadorial duties, so should either include some sort of diving display I will happily comply. In pink trunks," Mitcham said. "I think [ the Gay Games are ] a brilliant way for people to participate in sport in a safe and friendly environment, especially as there are so few openly gay elite athletes."
Will the Games be life-changing for Mitcham, as they often are for others?
"I have absolutely no idea, but I know I will love every minute of it," Mitcham said.
Mitcham was a trampoline gymnast before making a diving splash. He represented Australia as a trampolinist at the World Junior Championships in 1999 and 2001, winning the double mini-tramp event.
Mitcham was a national junior diving champion from 2002-2004.
In 2006, Mitcham competed in the USA Grand Prix in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.—the only U.S. city he has visited.
Mitcham represented Australia at the 2008 Summer Olympics in the 10-meter platform and the 3-meter springboard events. He placed 16th on the 3-meter springboard and did not qualify for the final.
His 10-meter success was honored by Australia Post with a 50-cent stamp of him, issued one day after his golden moment.
So does it get old talking about the win?
"Yes, [ so ] please don't ask—just kidding," Mitcham said shortly after the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver ended. "I had a couple of mates competing in the Winter Games. I was very proud and unashamedly claim their medals as 'our medals.'"
Mitcham, who now lives in Sydney, came out in 2008. He was, reportedly, one of only 11 openly gay athletes competing in the 2008 Beijing Olympics—of 11,028 athletes from 204 countries.
"Some sporting environments make it very difficult to be only gay as it is still, for some reason which only God knows, seen as a weakness, especially in sports that have a 'macho' mentality about them," Mitcham said. "I suspect that athlete's either keep quiet about their preferences to avoid becoming a target, or they just avoid putting themselves in that kind of environment in the first place.
"I've done stuff within the LGBT community here [ in Australia ] , but in general I just hope that doing my best to be a good gay role model will show the wider community that there isn't much about us to be afraid of."
More about Matthew:
—On the real Matthew Mitcham away from the pool: "He is a multi-faceted creature, with innumerable flaws that he tries to improve. What he can't improve, he tries to accept, and what he can't accept, he ignores, just like everyone else. For the most part, he is relatively unexciting, but his life is peppered with the occasional outrageous or unforgettable moment. The gastronomical highlight of his day is a grilled veggie sandwich with avocado and chicken on Turkish bread at lunchtime. He likes smiling at every person he walks past on the street."
—Motivation: "Motivation comes from within. And inspiration comes from anything I see that I want. I was an only child for my first nine years, so I know what it takes to get what I want."
—What famous person do you want to meet, and why? Lady Gaga. "I always liked her, but I didn't start loving her work until I saw her perform Pokerface and Paparazzi acoustically for Capital FM on YouTube. I like that she's so passionate about gay rights. I love that she's still getting more creative and I hope she keeps getting weirder. She'll be on tour in Australia soon, so I'm hoping that she'll somehow get wind of my wish and want to meet me too ... just putting it out there"
—School: "I'm [ now ] in my first year doing a bachelor of science/arts at Sydney University. I'm just chipping away at a degree while I'm diving so that when I retire, just in case I can't live comfortably off my super-celebrity [ status ] , I'll have a way to earn a dollar. Plus, I enjoy learning new things."
