 |
| Colin Jackson |
You may not know him by name, but you can certainly recognize his accomplishments. Welsh sprinter
Colin Jackson has been named as an ambassador for the 2012 London Olympics for his amazing accomplishments in the sport of track and field.
In 2006, a male flight attendant circulated rumors that he and Jackson had an affair, which added to speculations that the athlete was gay. This week, however, the 41-year-old told the Voice that although he didn’t mind the rumors, he was in fact not gay.
Jackson, who recently appeared in the British predecessor to
Dancing with the Stars called
Strictly Come Dancing, earned a silver medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and followed up his success by setting set a world record for the 110 meter high hurdles in 1993 at the world championships.
Never married, speculations about his sexuality circulated through the UK tabloids for years and the 2006 claims by an airline steward only furthered the rumors.
This week, the
Voice newspaper asked him about his sexuality, to which he responded, “I don't mind having people say what they like in that circumstance. I know that I am not but I don't think it's for me to be going round screaming it from the rooftops.”
He added, “It's only people who don't know you who say things like that — not people who do know you. They are not in my life at all, so it makes no difference to me.”
His positive attitude is in stark contrast to other athletes like tennis player
Richard Gasquet who vehemently denied and felt insulted about accusations that he was gay, and Swiss triathlete
Sebastien Gacond who was heated that
Outsports.com had posted a picture of him on their site.
When questioned about a possible stigma associated with gay athletes, Jackson responded, "It's the 21st century. I don't think anybody thinks about that any more. There might have been a stigma in years gone by."
Jackson has recently published a new book titled,
Life’s New Hurdles, which chronicles his life since retiring from the sport.
