Matthew Mitcham TWISTS AND TURNS Autographed Book
Matthew Mitcham :
the first openly gay man in modern history to win an Olympic GOLD medal.
Gay men and women had medaled before, but they had done so while
keeping their sexuality secret, only coming out afterwards. Openly gay
athletes had won bronze and silver medals before but not gold.
“People kept remarking on how they were surprised that a gold
medal and fame hadn’t changed me. I always responded, ‘Why would I
change? Being me is the easiest person to be.’ I was lying. It wasn’t.”
At
the Beijing Olympic Games, he made history with an unforgettable dive,
the first to ever score perfect tens from all four judges, and won gold
for Australia. Grinning with pride from front pages around the world,
there was no hint of the personal demons that had led this supremely
talented young dynamo to quit diving less than two years before.
Joyously out and proud, Matthew was a role model for his courage both in
and out of the pool. Yet the crippling self-doubt and shadow of
depression that had plagued him all his life forced him into premature
retirement, at one point reduced to circus diving to earn money.
Even
after Beijing and being ranked number 1 in the world, those closest to
Matthew could not guess that beneath that cheeky, fun-loving exterior,
he was painfully aware of how easily it could unravel.
In the lead-up to
the London Olympics, when injury threatened his hopes, he will have to
find the strength again to balance his striving for perfectionism with
the fear of his self-doubt taking hold again.
Matthew was addicted to crystal meth in 2011 that almost
derailed his career. He had treated it with rehab, hypnotherapy and help
from friends, he writes in his new book, “Twists and Turns,”.
Told with the honesty and
courage he is admired for, Twists and Turns is an inspiring story of a true champion, in and out of the pool.
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