Beijing 2008: Matthew Mitcham – Diving

This episode of the podcast Word for Word from 6 December 2012 focuses on Matt Mitcham – the Australian Olympian who won the 10m platform diving in Beijing 2008, having received the highest single-dive score in Olympic history.

The 20-year-old diver stunned local spectators – and international audiences – by scoring 112 in his final routine, clinching gold from Chinese rival Zhou Lüxin.

Matt’s story is remarkable – battling with depression and retiring in his teenage years after burnout, he returned to the sport, training hard to claim the apex of diving, the Olympic gold.

Matt is also believed to be the first Australian to openly declare his sexuality before competing at an Olympic Games – and has since become an icon of the LGBTQI+ community, paving the way for other athletes.

Providing an LGBTQI+ perspective, Word for Word is a podcast that interviews many sportspeople, performers, religious and political authorities and academics. Presented by Dean Beck, this snippet provides a fascinating portrait of Matt's life experiences, skilfully interweaving a range of content about Matt, including commentary, news clips, interviews and speeches – such as Matt's acceptance speech at the Sportsperson of the Year Awards in 2008.

Image: Matthew Mitcham by Philip Myers is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0