Two college wrestlers compete against one another
Stock photo for illustrative purposes only (Photo: Shutterstock)

With the Olympics about to start in Paris, one sport that’s sure to again prove popular with some gay viewers is wrestling. 

Does the sport have any queer competitors? According to Outsports, Kayla Miracle is the only out wrestler in Paris. She’s competing in the women’s competition.

However, even if there are no out gay men in the Paris 2024 wrestling, we’re sure there are plenty at lower levels.

This week, a former college wrestler, who has since come out as gay, did an anonymous ‘Ask Me Anything’ on Reddit. The man, who is now in his early 30s, posted in the AskGayBrosOver30 subreddit.

Many Redditors had questions.

Bulges

“I’ve seen lots of photographs of wrestlers who have ‘embarrassing’ bulges in their singlets, sometimes seeming to be hard,” asked one person. “Were you ever photographed that way?”

“It was definitely something that I struggled with… luckily I don’t think it was something caught on camera,” replied the former athlete. 

How did he deal with the threat of such a bulge arising?

“On days when I thought I would be struggling with this issue. Like if I had to practice with that one insanely hot teammate. I’d j*rk off before practice. And also wear extremely tight underarmour compressions under my singlet. Then j*ck off after practice,” he said. “Wasn’t an issue with the majority of guys I was around. Just that one teammate cuz he was a God. But you learn how to deal with it.”

Others wondered if he ever hooked up with any other wrestlers whilst on the team. 

“I was closeted. But yes I hooked up with closeted guys from other teams when out-of-state meets,” he said. “When I went to those meets I was on Grindr as a blank profile. Talked to other blank profiles my age during those meets and tended to find them that way.”

As many people had questions of a sexual nature, the former athlete clarified, “I joined the sport because I loved the sport. Not for sexual reasons. But yes.. boners were a real problem for me and I developed my own ritual and tricks for how to deal with them. It was manageable enough – I wasn’t attracted to most of my teammates or opponents. I just had one teammate, who to this day still has the most insane body and obscene *ss I’ve ever seen in my entire life.”

Coming out

Another Redditor asked him when he came out and how his teammates responded.

“I came out after college. Most of the guys were neutral about it and if they had a bad opinion kept it to themselves. Guys were surprised but actually pretty accepting. I think it might have been different if I came out during my time on the team though … There was a lot of naked rough housing in the locker rooms. And even the most open-minded guys could be a little closed-minded if they knew a guy was potentially attracted to them.”

Someone else asked him if he felt guilty about not coming out sooner if he already knew he was gay.

“I don’t feel guilty about it. I was dealing with a lot of heavy situations as a closeted man in that sport. Now that culture is more chill with gay men in sports in general, it’s probably easier to be out for younger men. Which I support. But for me in a conservative region, particularly in a sport where you can easily get a boner and be a target, I did what I had to do.”

Another asked, “Anything on under the singlet? Also, the obvious question: did the guys ever screw around, even in the ‘no homo’ kind of way?”

“Wrestlers are extremely open with their bodies,” he replied. “Much like how rugby guys can be. So yes there’s a ton of horsing around naked but it’s not sexual. So I partook in that but also had to be careful considering I was closeted.

“And guys are different. Some just wear briefs or jocks. I personally wore super tight compression shorts underneath for a number of reasons.”

Asked if he’d continued the sport after college, he said it was a difficult sport to continue with once you’ve left high education. Some wrestlers get into ju-jitsu instead. He was personally more into beach volleyball, soccer, gym and hiking. 

Similar experiences

Another wrestler joined the conversation, saying he knew most didn’t come out till after high school or college. Did he have similar experiences as the athlete answering questions? 

“Yes, very similar,” he said. “Also, being of Middle Eastern/ Balkan descent it’s even more difficult. Wrestling is huge in Turkey, Azerbaijan, Dagestan, Georgia, etc. My family is from that part of the world and it’s a very conservative and religious society.”

The former athlete continued to answer questions from the curious. Does he still put on his gear?

“I do, yeah. I’ve had exes or hookups find it hot, and have asked me to wear it. But other than that I don’t use them anymore.”

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