What It's Like to Run Your Fingers Along Matthew Mitcham's Spine: VIDEO

The spine of his new book, Twists and Turns, of course.

Watch him at a recent appearance at Australia's Booktopia, AFTER THE JUMP...

He also described the book thusly: "It’s the story of my life from birth to present, with absolutely no omissions whatsoever (after all, 24 is really young to write a book!) but it is a very warts-and-all biography, talking about everything from sports to depression, living like a caveman, coming to terms with sexuality, and all the (mis)adventures in between."

President Obama is Not Impressed: PHOTO

Prez knows his memes.

President Barack Obama jokingly mimics U.S. Olympic gymnast McKayla Maroney's "not impressed" look while greeting members of the 2012 U.S. Olympic gymnastics teams in the Oval Office, Nov. 15, 2012. Steve Penny, USA Gymnastics President, and Savannah Vinsant laugh at left. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

(via buzzfeed)

Olympic Diver Matthew Mitcham Battled Crystal Meth Addiction in 2011

A bombshell revelation from his new autobiography Twists and Turns is that gay Olympic diver Matthew Mitcham was battling an addiction to crystal meth in the years leading up to the London Olympics, at which he failed to medal:

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that following his Olympic win in 2008 after still failing to be ranked as World #1, he descended into depression:

Self-doubt came crashing back, fuelled by injury. Secretly smoking crystal meth to boost his moods, he was soon in the grip of addiction.

He knew the drug's dangers. But ''taking it was something I did … to take my mind off things that were upsetting me - to make me feel better about myself.''

The openly gay Mitcham has climbed back from last year's depths with the aid of Narcotics Anonymous, a drug rehabilitation clinic, hypnotherapy and the support of his inner circle. He's chased the demons away and is training for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

In therapy still, he believes he is happier and healthier. As for fully understanding himself, he writes: ''The answers continue to elude me. I may work it out one day.''

Said Mitcham to Australia's Nine News program 60 Minutes: "I certainly was addicted to crystal meth...I just felt like such a massive sham."

Here's the preview to his 60 Minutes interview.

(via outsports)

Out Olympic Gold Medal-Winning Soccer Player Megan Rapinoe Honored by L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center: VIDEO

Olympic gold medalist Megan Rapinoe, one of the few out athletes in any sport, accepted the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center's Board of Directors Award on Saturday at their 41st annual dinner, Outsports reports:

“The longer I’ve been out, the more stories I’ve been able to hear from people,” Rapinoe told me Saturday. “People come up to me and say, ‘you’re the reason I came out, you’re the reason I realized I was gay.’ ” Asked how much her profile has grown, she added: “Look at me, I’m the honoree for such a great organization.”

Watch her accept the award and talk about her decision to come out, AFTER THE JUMP...

The event raised $700,000 for the Center.

Gay Olympic Diver Matthew Mitcham to Release Autobiography

Matthew Mitcham, the gay Australian Olympic gold-medalist, will release a memoir called Twists and Turns in December, GNN reports:

To be released by HarperCollins in December, Mitcham’s book will also take a closer look at the anxiety and “crippling self doubt” that he has battled as a teenager and young adult, which at one point forced him to give up diving and head to the local circus so he could earn an income. 

“People kept remarking on how they were surprised that a gold medal and fame hadn’t changed me,” Mitcham writes in a blurb for the book.

“I always responded, ‘Why would I change? Being me is the easiest person to be’. I was lying. It wasn’t.”...

...Twists and Turns also sees the 24-year-old Brisbane-born sports star discussing his effort at this year’s London Olympics where he failed to defend his crown after missing out on qualifying for the final. With an abdominal injury affecting his preparation for the London Games, Mitcham writes that his self-doubt and depressive tendencies returned with a vengeance.

Ian Thorpe Again Addresses Gay Rumors In TV Interview: VIDEO

With his new autobiography This Is Me hitting the shelves, Australian Olympic swimmer Ian Thorpe is again having to address those persistent rumors that he's gay, as he does in an interview with Australia's ABC News AFTER THE JUMP.

In the video, starting around the 5:10 mark, Thorpe says he's less offended by the rumors and more hurt that people are questioning his integrity and refuse to take his word that he's straight. As for why his sexuality has consistently been a topic of conversation, Thorpe says he believes it's because he doesn't fit the stereotypical athlete mold.

Watch the discussion AFTER THE JUMP.