Addiction, drugs and Olympic glory: Matthew Mitcham Pt.1

I Catch Killers with Gary Jubelin

Olympic gold medalist Matthew Mitcham made history with his near-perfect dive, but his life was far from it. The champion athlete had a lonely childhood, battled depression from the age of 14, punished himself for having gay thoughts and escaped his feelings with drugs and alcohol. Fighting a crippling fear of failure, Matthew just wanted to be perfect. To be the best. And for a moment, he was.

This is Matthew Mitcham like you’ve never heard him, “warts and all”.

Catch up on the latest from the 2024 Paris Olympics as it happens with our on the ground coverage at The Daily Telegraph.

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Chapters

1. Addiction, drugs and Olympic glory: Matthew Mitcham Pt.1 (00:00:00)

2. Matt Mitcham: being the best in the world (00:04:46)

3. Finding the best coach (00:13:29)

4. Success doesn't define you (00:17:58)

5. Matt Mitcham's childhood (00:22:13)

6. Matt Mitcham's role models as a young child (00:24:40)

7. Coming to terms with his sexuality (00:25:33)

8. Trampolining to diving (00:31:26)

9. Drinking and drugs to mask the pain (00:36:54)

10. Becoming sober for the Beijing Olympics (00:39:56)

11. The Olympics: what it takes to compete (00:44:33)

12. Making the Australian Olympic team (00:49:57)