Bryden Hattie tore up Chile last fall when he competed in the South American country for the Pan-Am Games. The NCAA champion became enamored with Chilean culture and people, and vowed to return.
Chile’s Independence Day, which the country celebrated last week, seemed like the perfect time. Hattie was back in his favorite place… and brought plenty of queso.
“Y la queso,” to be exact. 💅💅💅
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Hattie first appeared on our gaydar last year when he was profiled on Outsports. The Canadian native talked about his love for competing and pop culture.
His Paris Hilton-inspired tattoo says it all.
“That’s Hot.”
A standout diver, Hattie finished his college career on top, capturing his fourth SEC title for the University of Tennessee. He also took home his third SEC Championship for platform diving, beating the second-place finisher by nearly 80 points.
“I was very stressed because the rest of the week I was kind of flopping,” Hattie told the SEC ESPN Network following his triumph. “To be able to put it down on tower tonight and finish my SEC career with a win was very exciting. I’m really happy.”
Hattie’s good spirits carried him to the World Aquatics Diving World Cup in Montreal, where he gooned with his bestie, Team USA cutie Tyler Downs. The two zoomers are certified “It Girls,” and never miss an opportunity to collab.
Related*
Champion divers Bryden Hattie & Tyler Downs’ latest collab is making a big splash out of the pool
Hattie and Downs, both of whom are total cuties, boast more than 1 million followers on TikTok combined.
When they were in Chile together, they had to fend off fiends tracking them on Grindr left and right!
With more than 210,000 followers on TikTok and Instagram, Hattie is unapologetically gay gay gay. He never tempers his irreverent personality, despite spending four years in deep red Tennessee.
Even as an underclassman, Hattie wanted to be a role model for other LGBTQ+ kids. During the 2022 Commonwealth Games, the six-time SEC medalist submitted a letter to Pride House Birmingham, which offers a safe space to congregate for queer athletes.
In it, he wrote, “Everyone deserves the right to feel accepted and live their lives authentically.”
“I’m glad that there’s more visibility and that more people are coming out, despite the trolls,” Hattie told Outsports. “They should just breathe a little bit, get in touch with reality and accept that yes, there is going to be gays in sports.”
With that in mind, Hattie tried out for the 2024 Paris Olympics, where at least 193 out athletes competed. Though he missed out on qualifying, he kept his sense of humor.
And planned his next adventure.
During the latter half of the summer, Hattie plotted his trip back to Chile. Like a true entrepreneur, he successfully recruited brands to sponsor his adventures.
Hattie landed to a warm welcome. He gained hundreds, if not thousands of admirers across Chile, who comment on all of his posts with some variation of “WE NEED LA QUESO.”
“After his participation in the Panamerican Games Santiago 2023 Bryden Hattie fell in love with Chile and its people and for his part, the Chileans also fell in love with his personality,” a Chilean publication wrote last week.
Hattie’s affinity for Chilean culture is apparent. He took part in all sorts of activities and enjoyed local treats, such as Terremoto, a Chilean wine cocktail mixed with pipeño, pineapple ice cream and grenadine.
Yum… to both Hattie and the delicious drink!
The 23-year-old Hattie didn’t just drop into Chile as some sort of influencer posting up in a proverbial glass house. He immersed himself in the festivities; and we must say, speaks pretty good Spanish!
With his bilingual skills, Hattie was able to pick up sponsorships with Chilean-based startups and companies, such as First Job.
Hattie’s enthusiasm, which is downright infectious, jumps right off the screen. Now a college grad, we can’t wait to follow his future escapades.
We know there will be plenty of them… with a hearty helping of queso.
Related*
Champion diver Bryden Hattie finishes his college career with gold & the Olympics in his sights
The University of Tennessee standout won his fourth SEC title over the weekend.
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