SYDNEY (AP) — Australian 10-meter platform diver Matt Mitcham says he battled a methamphetamine addiction in 2011 that almost derailed his career and his life.
After winning the 10-meter gold medal at the Beijing Olympics, Mitcham failed to make the final 12 at the London Games this year.
In a book to be released on Monday, “Twists and Turns,” Mitcham reveals his battle with low self-esteem, anxiety and depression, panic attacks and repeated self-harm as a teenager, which helped begin his dependence on crystal meth.
Mitcham says that even after his Beijing gold medal win, he was still ranked No. 2 — “I had still failed to achieve my childhood dream of becoming the best in the world at something,” so he turned to drugs.