Gay hurdler Seamus Derbyshire has said he’s proud of himself after making his World Athletics Championships debut.
Derbyshire is known for going viral on TikTok thanks to his fierce poses on the track during July’s Diamond League meet in London. In June, he became thefifth-fastest British man over 400m hurdles,clocking 48.47 seconds – breaking his personal best and securing his place in this month’s World Championships in Tokyo. He hoped his appearance would inspire others.
He didn’t advance to the next round after finishing in 49.20 and being placed seventh in Monday’s (15 September) heats, but did give what many fans wanted to see by emulating Glinda fromWicked: tossing his hair.
Taking to his Instagram Story, he wrote: “My heart breaks but feeling proud of how far I’ve come… 27th in the world.”
Derbyshire has previously admitted that he had struggled with his mental health, which derailed his European and Olympic dreams last year and led him to reconsider his future in the sport.
“Bringing my authentic self has brought me to a point where I feel comfortable again,” he said. “It’s silly but this is the first year in five years where I’ve completed every race I’ve stepped on the start line to do, which is such a nice feeling and such a big accomplishment.”
He added that he’s inspired by the likes of singers Kylie Minogue and Gwen Stefani.
“I’ve had so many messages saying it’s so nice to see someone living the way I am. They wish they could have had someone doing that when they were younger, or parents [saying] it’s a really nice example for children.”
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