Bruce
Hayes
spun
around
to
focus
his
eyes
on
the
distant
race
clock,
then
ripped
off
his
goggles
and
threw
his
left
hand
in
the
air
as
one
of
the
ABC
broadcasters
calling
the
1984
Olympics
shouted,
“He
did
it!”
Just
one
lap
earlier,
27
seconds
before
the
celebration
began,
the
television
announcers
and
most
of
the
15,000
people
inside
the
University
of
Southern
California
swimming
complex
had
little
reason
to
hope
that
Hayes
would
be
able
to
win
a
gold
medal
for
the
U.S.
4x200
meter
relay
team.
Hayes’s
teammates
had
given
him
a
1.5
second
lead
over
the
team
from
West
Germany,
but
much
of
that
advantage
was
nullified
just
after
Hayes
entered
the
pool
for
the
final
leg.
The
anchor
for
the
West
German
team,
Michael
Gross,
was
the
most
dominant
swimmer
of
the
1984
Olympics,
and
was
nicknamed
“the
Albatross”
because
of
his
height
and
wingspan.
Gross
gobbled
up
the
American
lead
during
the
first
three
laps
of
the
anchor
leg
and
pulled
ahead
of
Hayes
as
the
two
swimmers
did
their
final
flip
turns
and
sprinted
the
last
50
meters
of
the
race.
Despite
Hayes’
shorter
strokes,
he
used
a
racing
technique
common
in
swimming,
cross-country
and
NASCAR
— drafting
— which
allowed
him
to
pull
even
with
Gross
with
half
lap
remaining.
The
two
competitors
went
stroke-for-stroke
during
the
final
25
meters
as
the
crowd
went
wild
and
the
television
announcers
screamed
about
witnessing
“one
of
the
greatest
relay
races
in
Olympics
history.”
Hayes,
whose
final
lap
was
the
fastest
split
by
any
swimmer
in
the
race,
surged
ahead
in
the
last
few
strokes
and
edged
Gross
and
the
West
Germans
for
the
gold
by
.04
seconds.
Hayes
celebrated
in
the
water
as
his
relay
teammates
were
jubilant
on
the
pool
deck,
each
pausing
to
reach
down
into
the
pool
and
clinch
Hayes’
fist.
“What
a
remarkable
accomplishment
for
a
young
man
who
may
be
this
nation’s
best
all
around
freestyle
swimmer,”
the
ABC
announcer
said
as
the
celebration
continued.
The
4x200
meter
freestyle
relay
at
the
1984
Olympics
has
been
dubbed
“the
perfect
race”
by
swimming
aficionados.
Just
a
year
after
that
race,
“the
nation’s
best
all
around
freestyle
swimmer”
was
22
years
old
and
in
peak
physical
condition
— and
ready
to
walk
away
from
competitive
swimming
for
good.
“I
feel
like
I
had
a
great
Olympic
experience,
but
I
definitely
feel
that
I
wasn’t
entirely
comfortable
in
that
environment,”
Hayes
said.
Hayes
may
have
conquered
“the
Albatross”
in
the
pool,
but
he
continued
to
be
burdened
by
a
different
kind
of
albatross
within
the
swimming
world
— being
gay.
“I
think
I
had
the
same
kind
of
fears
that
anyone
coming
out
has,
particularly
since
it
was
24
years
ago,
but
I
think
the
environment
actually
made
it
worse,”
Hayes
said.
“When
you’re
in
an
athletic
environment,
when
you
live
in
that
environment
year-round,
there’s
just
not
a
comfort
level
of
coming
out
and
sharing
that
kind
of
information
with
people.”
Hayes
never
encountered
any
outright
hostility
from
coaches
and
teammates
within
USA
Swimming,
but
the
high-pressure
atmosphere
and
tunnel
vision
of
Olympic
training
didn’t
allow
space
for
Hayes
to
deal
with
his
personal
struggles.
“It
wasn’t
like
they
were
homophobic,
but
they
just
weren’t
sensitized
to
it,”
Hayes
said.
“I
wouldn’t
say
there
was
any
kind
of
sensitivity
to
the
fact
that
one
of
their
athletes
might
be
gay.”
Even
the
triumph
of
winning
an
Olympic
gold
medal
couldn’t
settle
the
discontent
within
Hayes,
and
a
year
after
his
stunning
victory
over
the
West
Germans,
he
retired
from
swimming.
“I
think
I
would’ve
continued
had
I
felt
comfortable
being
myself,
but
I
didn’t,
and
I
really
kind
of
felt
like
I
had
to
give
up
swimming
to
come
out,”
Hayes
said.
“I
don’t
know
if
it
was
a
conscious
choice,
even;
but
now
when
I
look
back
and
wonder
why
I
didn’t
go
forward,
that
was
definitely
one
of
the
reasons,
in
the
back
of
my
mind.”
More
than
two-dozen
former
Olympians
have
come
out
as
gay
or
lesbian,
although
most
did
so
after
retiring.
Three
openly
gay
athletes
are
competing
in
the
Beijing
Olympics,
but
none
are
representing
the
United
States.
Two
lesbian
athletes
from
Germany
—
cyclist
Judith
Arndt
and
fencer
Imke
Duplitzer
—
are
returning
to
the
Olympics
after
previous
performances,
while
20-year-old
Australian
diver
Matthew
Mitcham
is
making
his
Olympic
debut.
The
International
Olympic
Committee
has
become
more
welcoming
of
lesbian,
gay,
bisexual
and
transgender
athletes
in
recent
years,
including
allowing
post-operative
transgender
athletes
to
compete
for
the
first
time
during
the
2004
Olympics
in
Athens.
The
IOC
has
also
worked
with
Mitcham
to
ensure
that
his
boyfriend
will
be
able
to
attend
the
Beijing
Games,
according
to
Kelly
Stevens,
communications
director
for
the
Federation
of
Gay
Games,
an
Olympics-style
competition
for
gay
athletes.
Organizers
of
the
Gay
Games
have
been
in
contact
with
Mitcham,
Arndt
and
Duplitzer
to
offer
support
and
an
extended
cheerleading
section.
“Everything
helps,”
said
Stevens,
who
added
that
there
are
likely
many
more
gay
athletes
competing
in
Beijing
who
have
not
come
out
of
the
closet.
“And
there
might
be
some
others
out
there
who
are
out
to
their
family
or
friends,
but
they’re
not
talking
to
the
press,”
Stevens
said.
The
limited
number
of
out
Olympians
is
a
bit
surprising,
but
isn’t
indicative
of
an
anti-gay
climate
at
the
Olympic
Games,
Stevens
said.
“I
would
think
we’re
at
a
time
when
it’s
easier
for
people
to
be
out,
particularly
in
the
developing
nations,”
Stevens
said.
“I
don’t
think
that
it’s
a
measurement
of
the
Olympics
itself,
I
think
it’s
a
measure
of
[athletes’]
own
countries.”
As
a
member
of
the
U.S.
Olympic
team
in
2000
and
2004,
it
was
clear
to
“Al
Meredith”
that
he
would
have
a
hard
time
...
