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Two AntiPodean Olympians Come Out
Posted on: May 7th, 2010 by History Month

>Last month, Daniel Kowalski, a retired Australian middle- and long-distance swimmer specialising in freestyle events, came out; joining the small group elite male athletes to do so. This includes retired NSW rugby league player Ian Roberts and Olympic gold-medal winning diver Matthew Mitcham. Kowalski says he was inspired to come out by Welsh rugby player Gareth Thomas. The 34-year-old, who won four Olympic medals during his career, said he was “tired of living a lie”.

Read more about this on PinkNews here.

This week it was the turn of New Zealand ice skater, Blake Skjellerup, 24, who just took part in the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games, to come out. The athlete said he had decided to wait until after the Games to come out in order to focus on his performance and to avoid turning off potential sponsors. It seems that Canada-based Skjellerup is in a relationship with another competitive athlete.

Read more about this on OutSports here.

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