Paralympic participant comes out as gay after competition in Paris: “Another fight awaits me”

Frenchman Dimitri Pavadé represented his home country in grand style after coming out as gay just days after finishing fourth in the men's long jump at the Paralympics in Paris.

Pavadé, who won a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, returned to the final of the men's long jump T64 on Wednesday, where he was just 0.06 metres away from a podium place and a bronze medal in the competition.

Later on Saturday, he posted a photo of himself on Instagram smiling and holding intertwined male gender symbols in rainbow colors – a nod to his coming out, which he had announced in the caption of his post.

“Now another battle awaits me and I have been waiting impatiently for this moment. Here I am today, once again ready to face it, overcome it and move on, without paying attention to what others say or think about me,” Pavadé wrote, according to a Google translation from French to English.

He continued, “Yes, I am SMALL, MIXED RACIAL, ONE-LEGGED, and to make matters worse, GAY!!!!!! As I am and others have never had to make a choice, so stop your pathetic speeches and judgments without reason, because you will never change the world.”

In 2007, Pavadé, who was born on the French island of Réunion, about 677 kilometers east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, was injured in his hometown when he was hit by a forklift on Christmas Eve, according to the official Olympics website.

After the accident, he had the tibia on his right leg amputated. He vowed to be able to walk unaided again before discovering para-athletics and learning to run and jump with a blade.

This led to his current status as a long jumper for France, where he has represented the country in recent years not only at the Paralympics but also at European and World Championships.

Elsewhere in his Instagram announcement, Pavadé said he wants to be “the icon of people with disabilities” and a leader in the LGBTQIA+ community.

He also said he wanted to give “strength and courage” to those who have not yet made their identity public, as well as to athletes who do not live their lives “openly and freely”.

“Disability is not something to hide or be ashamed of, the same goes for sexual orientation,” Pavadé wrote.

“So accept yourself as you are and remember that you are not alone. Life is extremely short and we are offered so many beautiful things that we cannot pass them up.”

According to Outsports, Pavadé is one of only five male athletes missing from the Paris Paralympics.