It was just like: ‘I feel like shit, and this makes me feel better.’…Actually, you know what? It was probably because I’d associated so many happy memories with partying and drugs. And because I felt so shit, that was the last thing I could think back to that actually made me happy – apart from the Olympic experience, but I couldn’t replicate that for another four years.”
– Openly gay Australian diver Matthew Mitcham discusses the reasoning behind his meth addiction, which in part impaired his performance at the 2012 Olympics, with the Sunday Morning Herald to publicize his new autobiography, Twists and Turns.
Dumdum
WOW! Didn’t see that coming. I was going to get the book anyway, hope he is being truthful and not playing the bad boy card to sell books. Or is that poor me I’m so depressed?
tdx3fan
@Dumdum: I think its the “poor me, I’m so depressed.” He must have a horrible life with a book deal and stardom. Poor thing. Its not like anyone has ever gone through anything so traumatic.
Seriously, this guy is a douche, trying to garner sympathy when their are kids in NYC that are homeless because they come from the red states where their parents kicked them out because they found them holding hands with their boyfriend.
Dumdum
@tdx3fan: Don’t worry darling, I know from personal experience that there are plenty of perverts and horny old men ready to snap up a tasty new young face. If they play their cards right, they won’t be homeless for long. Of course if I was a celebrity or had money. I would use that to help those young Gays being exploited. I guess it is too much to expect Gays like Sir Elton Ugly. To use their money and influence to REALLY HELP instead of paying a surrogate to squirt out a testament to their vanity.
Ron Jackson
Matthew’s a sweetie, give him a break. He’s trying to make something good out of a bad situation. Like everyone else he has to also make a living. Olympic fame only last so long ya know.
fagburn
This is strange.
Professional athletes are frequently and randomly drug tested.
So why didn’t this show up?
Unless of course he made it up cause he’s pushing a book….
Spike
@fagburn: Tested for performance enhancing drugs, ie steroids, not recreational, like meth.
Musclegeek
Well let’s think about it. This kid was the shit 4 years ago everybody wanted him/to be him but that only lasts for about 15mins after the olympics are over. Plus the fact he’s like what 22-23, lives in Sydney so yeah I believe it.
@fagburn in terms of testing Amphetamines have very short half lives something like 6 -12 hours depending on the person. I think meth has a slightly longer half life due to the methanol binding but it’s not more then 24 hours. So everyday you don’t use it the amount in your system divides by 2 so within 4 – 5 days you would have so little in your system it would be undetectable. Also since it’s metabolized so quickly it doesn’t have a chance to be deposited in your hair or nail follicles. That’s the reason why they only get these guys for pot or hormones. They stay in your system for months.
Cam
@tdx3fan:
I’m not sure I get your point…that because there are homeless gay kids in NYC nobody else can ever feel any sympathy to somebody else who was having a hard time of it?
Mitchim’s issue was being stupid and his problems were self inflicted, but remember, he came out back when Anderson Cooper “Just hadn’t met the right girl yet” so I give him lots of credit and he lost a ton of endorsements over that.
Unlike Ian Thorpe…who still …… “Just hasn’t met the right girl yet.”
2eo
@Spike: That isn’t true at all. They are tested for all substances.
In the sport I used to play until injury Rugby League [which is in exactly the same worldwide code subscribed too by ALL Olympic sports participants, including the same group of independant testers] they test for all banned drugs, including two recent banning for cocaine abuse in Gareth Hock and Sean Gleeson.
Dumdum
@Musclegeek: Actually for Methamphetamine. Blood, urine, saliva, 3 to 5 days. Hair up to 90 days. I hope Matthew has lots of photos in his book. đ
Spike
@2eoI stand corrected. Now explain to me why an Olympic athlete, taking Meth, wasn’t revealed? Seems we are back to my original post or yours and the in fact the tests, don’t uncover drug use. Your thoughts.
jjunke
I think Meth would be performance enhancing…I know he is a diver but a runner doing the 800 or 1500m would somehow get to the line quicker on the gear than off it..met him…a real sweetie..love his ukulele playing.