26 Facts About Matthew Mitcham

Matthew John Mitcham OAM was born on 2 March 1988 and is an Australian retired diver and trampolinist.

Matthew Mitcham was spotted by Wang Tong Xiang, who is a coach at the Australian Institute of Sport Diving Program, while at the Chandler Aquatic Centre in Brisbane's suburbs, and Mitcham continued with both diving and trampolining for several years.

Matthew Mitcham competed at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival in 2003, finishing sixth.

From 2002 through 2004, Matthew Mitcham was a national junior champion in diving, winning the events in which he competed.

Matthew Mitcham finished with an overall score of 537.95 to defeat Zhou, who finished with an overall score of 533.15, to win Australia's second diving medal of the Games.

Matthew Mitcham's win prevented China from claiming a clean-sweep of all diving gold medals at the Olympic Games.

Matthew Mitcham's medal was followed by the Australia Post issuing a 50-cent stamp of him.

Matthew Mitcham was beaten narrowly by Zhou Luxin, the Chinese diver he'd beaten in the Olympics final, while British youngster Tom Daley took home the championship.

At the 2010 Commonwealth Games, Matthew Mitcham won four silver medals, partnering fellow Australian diver Ethan Warren to come runner-up in the synchronized events in both the 3 and 10-metre.

Matthew Mitcham is quoted as saying "I had still failed to achieve my childhood dream of becoming the best in the world at something," and so had turned to drug use.

In December 2011, Matthew Mitcham returned from an abdominals injury to win the Australian 10-metre platform with 480.05 points putting his Olympic dreams back on track.

Not only did Matthew Mitcham achieve this accolade, he was named Male Diver of the Year 2012.

Matthew Mitcham placed 13th in the semifinals of the 10m event at the 2012 Summer Olympics, narrowly missing the mark to qualify for the finals.

In 2013, Matthew Mitcham performed as an MC during the Melbourne Cabaret Festival, and they subsequently assisted him to turn his autobiography into a cabaret show.

Matthew Mitcham announced his retirement from diving at the beginning of 2016 to focus on his showbiz career.

Matthew Mitcham was a celebrity contestant on the fifteenth season of Dancing with the Stars, which premiered on 19 July 2015.

In March 2010, Matthew Mitcham was announced as the new face of Funky Trunks and has appeared on advertising campaigns across Australia, Europe and the United States.

Matthew Mitcham is a spokesman and "swimwear ambassador" for the brand.

In 2009, Matthew Mitcham was the Chief of Parade of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras after being declared the 2008 Australian Sports Performer of the Year.

In February and March 2010, Matthew Mitcham appeared in the second season of Rexona Greatest Athlete Australia reality television series in which 8 of Australia's most popular sports athletes compete in 8 episodes in various challenges to win the "best athlete" award.

Matthew Mitcham announced taking part in the Cologne 2010 Gay Games in Germany.

Matthew Mitcham appeared in an episode of Celebrity Come Dine With Me Australia with entertainer Maria Venuti, presenter Sophie Falkiner and X Factor Presenter Luke Jacobz who battled it out to win $2000 for their charity.

Matthew Mitcham publicly came out as gay in 2008 to the Sydney Morning Herald when they were profiling Olympic hopefuls.

Matthew Mitcham gained media coverage in Australia as reporters thought he was the first Australian to compete at the Olympic Games as an openly gay man at the time of his competition.

In 2009 and 2010, Matthew Mitcham was selected by readers of samesame.

Matthew Mitcham told the Associated Press that he earned three times more income from his work on OnlyFans than from athletic sponsorships.