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Openly gay trampoline athlete Kieran Growcott is preparing for an international comeback more than eight years after stepping away from elite competition, using his return to speak openly about mental health, identity and visibility in sport.

Now based on the Gold Coast, Kieran Growcott has qualified for the 2026 Trampoline World Cup circuit in Portugal after just weeks of focused preparation, balancing full-time work alongside international level training.

His return to competition comes after years navigating injury, depression, identity struggles and a rare autoimmune condition, with Growcott now hoping his visibility in sport can help younger 17c起草社区IA+ athletes feel less alone.

 

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Kieran Growcott says visibility in sport can 鈥済enuinely change lives鈥�

Born and raised in Christchurch, Growcott grew up surrounded by gymnastics. Both of his parents were coaches and artistic gymnasts, while his siblings also represented New Zealand in competition.

He transitioned into trampoline disciplines as a child and went on to represent Canterbury across trampoline, synchronised trampoline, power tumbling and double mini trampoline, later winning silver at the 2005 World Age Group Championships in the Netherlands.

But behind the results, Growcott said he was struggling with bullying and isolation throughout his school years.

鈥淏eing selected to compete as an openly gay athlete on the world stage is something that honestly means more to me than medals or results,鈥� he said.

鈥淕rowing up, I experienced bullying and spent a long time feeling like I had to make myself smaller or hide parts of who I was just to fit into sporting environments.鈥�

鈥淭here were times where I questioned whether I belonged in elite sport at all.鈥�

鈥淭o now be in a position where I can proudly represent my country while being completely myself feels incredibly powerful and healing.鈥�

鈥淚 hope younger queer athletes can see that their identity is never something that should stop them from chasing their dreams.鈥�

After injuries, including stress fractures in his spine, and mounting mental health struggles, Growcott stepped away from the sport entirely.

He later relocated to the Gold Coast, eventually returning to competition in 2017 where he became New Zealand Senior International Champion and again represented his home country at the World Championships.

However, financial pressures and the realities of competing in a largely self funded sport forced another break from elite competition.

Now 33, Growcott has once again returned to training, travelling regularly between the Gold Coast and Brisbane to access world class facilities while funding the campaign himself.

鈥淲hen I was younger, I honestly didn鈥檛 see many openly gay athletes, especially in male sport,鈥� he said.

鈥淭hat absence really affected me because it made me feel isolated and different at a time where I was already dealing with bullying and trying to understand who I was.鈥�

鈥淚 think if I鈥檇 seen more openly queer athletes back then, it would鈥檝e helped me feel less alone.鈥�

鈥淣ow, athletes who are unapologetically themselves inspire me because they鈥檙e helping create the visibility a lot of us never had growing up.鈥�

Growcott has also launched a platform called , focused on conversations around mental health, identity and neurodiversity within sport.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 incredibly important because visibility can genuinely change lives,鈥� he said.

鈥淪port can be such a tough environment for queer young people, especially when they鈥檙e dealing with bullying, fear of judgement, or feeling like they don鈥檛 belong.鈥�

鈥淪eeing openly gay athletes succeeding at a high level sends a really powerful message that you don鈥檛 have to change who you are to be accepted or successful.鈥�

鈥淪ometimes just seeing someone like yourself represented can give you the confidence to keep going, and I think that matters more than people realise.鈥�

To help fund his international campaign, Growcott has launched a with a target of $15,000.

He is also hosting a fundraising trivia event on the gold coast, Flips, Facts & F*ck Ups, alongside drag performer Luna D鈥檒ux at Mr PP鈥檚 Rooftop and Laneway on June 10.