Search form

Scroll To Top
Sports

Brazilian Diver Ian Matos Says Tom Daley Inspired Him To Come Out

Brazilian Diver Ian Matos Says Tom Daley Inspired Him To Come Out

Matos-cr

The champion athlete hopes to compete in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio

"From a young age, I knew I was gay, but it was here that I got to live my sexuality," Brazilian Diver Ian Matos said in a recent interview with the Portuguese-language newspaper Correio, according to a translation of his interview on OutSports.

Born in Bethlehem, Pa., Matos moved to Rio de Janiero to pursue his diving career and became the Brazilian 3-meter champion in 2013. The 24-year-old athlete currently lives in Rio de Janiero, and he said friends advised him to remain in the closet until after the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio. Matos, however, said he felt the increasing pressure of having to keep his sexuality a secret--hiding boyfriends and avoiding gay parties. He also acknowledged that he was inspired to be open about his identity after British Olympic diver Tom Daley announced in December he was dating a man, who was later revealed to be Oscar-winning Milk screenwriter Dustin Lance Black.

Matos says he hopes being an out athlete will not cost him potential sponsorships in the future, or impact his ability to be a successful diver.
[H/T Federation of Gay Games]

Advocate Channel - The Pride StoreOut / Advocate Magazine - Fellow Travelers & Jamie Lee Curtis

From our Sponsors

Most Popular

Latest Stories

Out.com Editors