Heath Thorpe is on a roll. The out gymnast just won the Australian All-Around Championships, one of the country’s highest honors in his sport.
It was Thorpe’s first win in eight career attempts.
“I’ll have more words soon, but for now I’m soaking this in, and enjoying my moment,” he posted Wednesday on Instagram. “Thank you to everyone who got me here. Far too many people to list but you know who you are 💕.”
It’s been quite a run for the 22-year-old Thorpe, who publicly came out as gay when was 18. Earlier this week, he and his Team Australia teammates won the Oceania Continental Championships against New Zealand, securing themselves a spot at the World Championships later this year.
Thorpe won the weekend’s floor event for the second year in a row, and finished second in the high bar.
After narrowly missing out on Tokyo 2020, Thorpe is keeping his dreams alive for Paris 2024. He promises to chronicle his journey on social media–lucky us!
Thorpe’s skills on the mat are good enough to warrant coverage on their own. But his advocacy work off the mat, and ways he’s trying to open up male gymnastics, might be even more impressive.
In interviews, Thorpe often speaks about the surprising lack of out gay male gymnasts, and how the dearth impacted him growing up. He says his goal is to be the role model for other young LGBTQ+ athletes that he didn’t have.
“When I was younger, there were no queer gymnasts competing on the international level,” he said in a recent interview. “So when I was coming to terms with my identity, I now realize how significant it could’ve been if there were one or even two people at the top level being themselves.”
One of Thorpe’s goals is to challenge the rigid standards of male gymnastics. Since male gymnasts are commonly emasculated, he says the sport overcompensates in the other direction. As a result, more flamboyant stunts, such as leaps and dance moves, aren’t in the Code of Points.
“Artistry in the eyes of men’s gymnastics equals femininity and for some reason we see that as a bad thing,” he told Inside Gymnastics last year.
Despite that, Thorpe often incorporates leaps into his routines–and other competitors are starting to notice. At the championships, multiple gymnasts tried out acrobatic moves themselves.
The prevalence of acro moves probably served as great validation for Thorpe. He seemed to be enjoying his victories, and rightfully so!
With the World Championships being held in Belgium this fall, Thorpe has a few months to get himself ready for his next big event.
Here’s hoping he doesn’t forget the little people…
Scroll down for some shots of Thorpe in action…
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Driven features stories and interviews highlighting the thrill of the queer journey, celebrating tenacious LGBTQers whose courage to be themselves fuels their drive to succeed.
DBMC
Wow! Amazing!