Michael Gunning has announced his retirement from his swimming career, but his legacy in the Jamaican and UK swimming scenes has been thoroughly cemented.
Raised and originally competing in the UK, Gunning has now swam representing Jamaica for years in events like the Manchester International Swim Meet and the World Aquatics Championships.
After coming out as gay on Courtney Act’s queer dating show The Bi Life in 2018, Gunning has bravely battled both racism and homophobia from the countries he’s represented throughout his career. Now entering his retirement, it’s clear that his role as an advocate is just as meaningful to him going forward as his swimming has been.
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In a recent interview with the Guardian, Gunning stated, “I’ve got so much more to give the world. I haven’t achieved all I wanted in my career but, now I’m retiring from competitive swimming, I don’t feel I failed. Yes, I haven’t qualified for the Olympics or won that world title. But the amount of lives that I’ve impacted means more to me than medals.
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On top of all of his accomplishments, if you haven’t noticed by this point, Gunning just happens to be a regulation hottie.
In honor of his career, his road ahead, and everything else he has to offer, here are just a few of our favorite entries in Gunning’s Instagram…
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ThatGuy22
He’s hot. Also, “Gunning has now swum representing Jamaica” not “has now swam.”
johncp56
OMG I love a swimmer`s build, and he is so very hot!!!!!!!!wow drool melt
Hunky
Just seen his youtube clip of him breaking down when visiting Jamaica. Heartbreaking, but shows the incredible work him and Tom Daley are doing in the world of sport. What a hero!