In a podcast, Irish track star Denis
Finnegan announced he's gay.
Finnegan, a 33-year-old 10-time
national track-and-field title winner in Ireland, said that he came
out to help other LGBT athletes who are struggling with their
sexuality.
“For younger people it will hopefully
give them more confidence in what they’re doing,” Finnegan told
host Cyd Zeigler on the “Five Things to Rule Them All” podcast.
“There are still people who are scared or unsure of what’s
happening, so I hope just telling my story might help one person
notice there’s more acceptance out there.”
Finnegan said that he “always” knew
he was gay and that he came out to his family and friends in 2012.
He added that being closeted hurt his
performance in sports.
“It [being closeted] takes away from
your physical performance,” Finnegan
said. “You can't do sport properly from that point of view.”