- Campbell Harrison failed to reach his Olympic final
- But the Aussie sent a strong message to his trolls
- Harrison was slammed on social media after a photo went viral
Campbell Harrison failed to qualify for the finals of the men’s bouldering and lead swimming.
But he has sent a powerful message after being the victim of horrific homophobia as he secured his place at the Olympics.
Openly gay Australian Olympian Harrison celebrated his biggest sporting moment last November with a kiss with his boyfriend Justin, but was met with widespread abuse after the photo was shared on the Olympics’ major social media accounts.
The reactions were so venomous that Ny Breaking Australia did not publish them at the time.
Harrison failed to reach the final of the men’s competition in Paris, but took his chance to stand up to homophobic internet users and kissed his boyfriend Justin afterwards.
Harrison finished tied for 19th with a score of 9.4. Only the top eight from each semi-final advanced, confirming the Australian’s elimination from the event.
“Qualifying was so hard and going through everything to be here was really tough. It just wasn’t my day,” Campbell said.
He took the opportunity to reflect on his incredible journey.
Campbell Harrison kisses his boyfriend Justin after his semi-final in Paris
The Australian climber failed to reach the final of the men’s competition on Monday
Harrison finished 19th, with only the top eight climbers qualifying for the final
“It’s pretty crazy. When I woke up this morning, I was a little emotional. I was like, ‘Oh, I guess I’m an Olympian now.’ So that’s a little crazy. At the end of the day, that was the big goal.
‘It’s really something special, you’ve never seen anything like it before unless you’ve seen climbing before.
“The way people use their bodies in so many different ways. All athletes have these different strengths that they all test on the wall.
“When you see someone clear a boulder or a sequence for the first time, it can be really exciting. There’s a lot of suspense that can be maintained throughout the rounds, and that’s really cool.”
Harrison seized his opportunity to send powerful messages after being aggressively trolled
Campbell (left) was supported in his athletic efforts by his partner Justin (right).
In response to last year’s homophobic abuse, Harrison said: ‘We often tell ourselves that society as a whole is becoming more progressive, or that things are ‘getting better.’
“But the reality is… there’s a reason you see so few openly gay athletes in sports.
‘And that’s because we’re still not safe here…yet. ‘Pride is important. Representation [also] Affairs.
‘It’s homophobes and bigots who should feel unwelcome in sports. Not me. Not [his boyfriend] Justin. Not queers just trying to live our lives without having to lie and hide who we are.’
