Walking The Walk

ATTITUDE SPEAKS TO BRITAIN’S NO.1 RACE WALKER TOM BOSWORTH ABOUT COMING OUT, PREPARING FOR RIO, AND BEING A GINGER PIN UP

WORDS: BEN KELLY

PHOTOGRAPHY: LEE BAXTER

Tom Bosworth is just 25-years-old, but already holds three British records in race walking – for which he is currently ranked 1st overall for the 20km in the UK (which he completed in 1 hour, 22 minutes and 20 seconds...if you’re counting). As he looks forward to competing at his first Olympics in Rio this summer, he has spoken for the first time about being gay, in a year which has been positive and encouraging for LGBT visibility in sport.

REVIEW OF THE YEAR

OUT IN SPORTS

IN AUGUST KEEGAN HIRST BECAME THE FIRST OUT GAY RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER. WORLD CHAMPION SKIER AND OLYMPIC MEDALLIST GUS KENWORTHY CAME OUT IN OCTOBER, ALONG WITH BRITISH RACE WALKER TOM BOSWORTH.

Race walking is very much a lesser known branch in athletics - how did you find out about it, and come to get involved?

It is lesser known, and we’ve got a really rich history in it but we haven’t had much success in recent decades. I just joined an athletics club when I was 11, in 2001, and it went from there.

I tried everything. There was a really good coach there who just encouraged people to give it a go and I quite enjoyed it.

I had a couple of friends who did it. I also did running at the same time. I did it because my parents wanted me to keep fit, and succeed in sport, so it was fortunate that this athletics club was available to me.