Gay Olympian Colin Jackson’s sexuality journey and medal tally

Colin Jackson, the gay Welsh former Olympic athlete, is one of the commentators at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

The BBC presenter will be covering track and field events alongside Steve Cram, Andrew Cotter, Steve Backley, Paula Radcliffe and Jazmin Sawyers.

Jackson won a silver medal in the 110m hurdles at the 1988 Games in Seoul, South Korea.

Is Colin Jackson gay?

Jackson came out publicly as gay in 2017, having refuted the claims in his 2004 autobiography and again four year later in an interview with The Voice newspaper. He had been embroiled in a tabloid kiss-and-tell story as early as 2006 but again denied that he was gay.

He finally came out in an interview on Swedish TV, saying he had waited because he did not want his sexuality to be sensationalised.

“The way you asked me, it was a whole storytelling kind of thing and you were just interested in the way it affected me sports-wise, emotionally wise and my preparation,” he said.

In the interview, he added that the rumours had spurred him to come out to family members and close friends. “My mother could see my face and I was quite distraught. It didn’t faze them at all,” he recalled.

“My mum went: ‘First of all, is the story true?’ I said: ‘It’s true, so it’s not like I can deny it’. And she went: ‘Well, why are people so disgraceful?’ I realised I’ve got the best parents.”

Does Colin Jackson have any Olympic medals?

Jackson competed at four Olympic Games. His silver in Seoul was his only medal.

But in 1993, he won gold in the 110m hurdles at the World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany, with a world record time of 12.91 seconds.

The record stood for almost 13 years and remains the best at World Championships.

He became the world indoor champion in 1994 and has twice been Commonwealth champion, setting a record at the 1994 Games. He went unbeaten between 29 August 1993 and 9 February 1995, winning 44 consecutive races. 

Six years after his first world title, Jackson regained his 110m hurdles crown in Seville, Spain.

After retiring from athletics, Jackson coached fellow gay Olympian, swimmer Mark Foster, and has appeared on Strictly Come Dancing, coming second, Dancing on Ice, where he finished third, and Celebrity Masterchef.

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