Openly gay rower Robbie Manson and his rowing partner Chris Harris have been selected for the Rowing New Zealand Olympic team. Mason, who came out in 2014, was part of the quad that finished seventh at the 2012 London Olympics and was named as part of the 2016 team following a week of trials . Mason says being gay doesn’t change his performance on the water, or who he is as a person but he struggled with his sexuality for years before coming out. Mason has taken it upon himself to be a vocal supporter of the LGBTI community since coming out and together with his doubles partner Harris, was an ambassador for the New Zealand LGBTI sporting festival, Proud to Play. The athletes will compete in the Men's Double Scull at the Rio Olympics this August.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Friday, 4th March 2016 - 3:28pm