Jonathan Hertwig-Ødegaard has opened up about his journey as an openly gay athlete.
On 1 August, the Norwegian decathlete sat for an interview with Norway’s public radio and TV broadcaster NRK, where he discussed coming out and why it shouldn’t get so much “attention.”
“I think it’s great that you can be a role model, but at the same time, I hope in the long run that it doesn’t have to be necessary, and that it gets so much publicity and attention,” he revealed.
Hertwig-Ødegaard went on to discuss the current state of coming out as a gay athlete and how there is a “bit of a wrong focus.”
“The problem is perhaps that among athletes, people talk about ‘it’s so brave and tough’ when people come forward,” the 20-year-old explained.
“I feel that there is a bit of a wrong focus, that the responsibility should not lie with individuals. I think it is the responsibility of society at large to facilitate that people are comfortable being open about their sexuality, also as athletes.”
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While Hertwig-Ødegaard doesn’t want massive amounts of attention focused on his gay identity, he did reflect on how having more openly queer athletes could have positively impacted him during his formative years.
“I think it would have helped me as a young boy or young athlete. Not necessarily to have someone to look up to, but just to see that it is completely normal to be gay and be a top athlete. Because it is,” he told the news outlet.
Towards the end of his interview, the young decathlete exclaimed that he was “proud and happy” to be gay and if others have an issue with his sexuality, “it’s their problem.”
Two weeks before his recent sit-down, Hertwig-Ødegaard made massive waves at the European Athletics U23 Championships, dominating six out of ten events and scoring 8,002 points, a personal best.
Alongside his recent feat, he is ranked 81st in the world in the decathlon rankings, has won the Norwegian Under-20 title three times, and is preparing to attend the University of Texas, where he will compete for NCAA titles.
We can’t wait to see what the future holds for Hertwig-Ødegaard.
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