Campbell Harrison has failed to qualify for the final of the men’s boulder and lead competition.
But he has sent out a strong message after being the victim of vicious homophobia when he sealed his place at the Olympic Games.
Openly gay Aussie Olympian Harrison celebrated his crowning sporting moment last November with a smooch with his boyfriend Justin, but suffered vile trolling when the image was shared by the main Olympics social media accounts.
The comments were so vitriolic Daily Mail Australia chose not to publish them at the time.
Harrison was unable to reach the final of the men’s competition in Paris, but took his opportunity to stand up against his homophobic trolls, locking lips with his boyfriend Justin after the event.
Harrison finished tied for 19th with a score of 9.4. With only the top eight from each semi-final advancing, it confirmed the Aussie’s exit from the event.
‘Qualifying was so hard and getting through everything to be here was really tough. It was just not my day,’ Campbell said.
He took the opportunity to reflect on his incredible journey.
Campbell Harrison locks lips with his boyfriend Justin after his semi final in Paris
The Aussie climber failed to reach the final of the men’s competition on Monday
Harrison finished 19th, with only the top eight climbers qualifying for the final
‘It’s pretty crazy. This morning, when I woke up, I was kind of emotional. I thought ‘oh, I guess I’m an Olympian now’. So that’s kind of wild. At the end of the day, that was the big goal.
‘The way people use their bodies in so many different ways. All athletes have these different strengths that they all put to the test on the wall.
‘When you see someone unlock a boulder or unlock a sequence for the first time, it can just be so exciting and there’s a lot of tension that can be held within the rounds which is really cool.’
Harrison took his opportunity to send a powerful messages after being viciously trolled
Campbell (left) has been supported by partner Justin (right) throughout his sporting endeavours
In response to the homophobic abuse last year, Harrison said: ‘We often tell ourselves that society as a whole is becoming more progressive, or that things are ‘getting better.’
‘But the reality is….there’s a reason why you see so few out, queer athletes in sport.
‘And that’s because we’re still not safe here…yet. ‘Pride matters. Representation [also] matters.
‘It’s homophobes and bigots that should feel unwelcome in sport. Not me. Not [his boyfriend] Justin. Not queer people just trying to live our lives without having to lie about and hide who we are.’
