Olympic champion Ian Thorpe admits he is gay in TV interview

Five time Olympic gold medalist Ian Thorpe publicly confirmed that he is gay.  He told British talk show host Michael Parkinson in an interview on Australian TV that he just recently realized the truth about himself.

This ends years of speculation about Thorpe’s sexuality.

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The 31 year old champion wrote in his 2012 autobiography: “For the record, I am not gay and all of my sexual experiences have been straight.”

He also said that constant questions about his sexuality when he became a famous swimmer at the age of 14 made him defensive towards the issue.  He said that he was too young to know his sexuality at that time, and always said he was straight to avoid teasing from classmates.

He now admits that he wishes he had come out sooner.  “I feel the lie has become so big that I didn’t want people to question my integrity” he said, via ABC.

“I’m comfortable saying I’m a gay man” he said.  “And I don’t want young people to feel the same way that I did.  You can grow up, you can be comfortable and you can be gay.”

The main reason he stated for not coming out sooner is that he didn’t want to let his family and his fans down.  He also said that he is looking forward to leading life openly, finding a partner, and starting a family.

Thorpe retired from competitive swimming in 2012 after winning five Olympic gold medals, three silvers, and one bronze.  He also set 22 world records.