Olympic Hurdler Colin Jackson Comes Out

After years of rumors, Colin Jackson has come out of the closet.

The British Olympian, who won the silver medal for 110-meter hurdles at the 1988 Olympic Games, revealed that he is gay in a Swedish documentary, Rainbow Heroes, reports The Guardian.

In the film, Jackson, 50, recounted how he came out to his parents after a tabloid published a 2006 tell-all article from a former partner outing him.

"My mother could see my face and I was quite distraught," said Jackson, who was waiting for his parents in his kitchen after the news broke.

"My mum went: 'First of all, is the story true?' And I said, 'So, it's true, so it's not like I can deny it.' And then she went, 'Well, why are people so disgraceful?'"

"I just realized, I've got the best parents," he concluded.

The Welsh athlete, who has won two World Championship victories in 110-meter hurdles, said he had not spoken about his sexual orientation previously, in order to avoid having the news being "sensationalized."

He decided to tell the documentary interviewers, Swedish athletes Kajsa Bergqvist and Peter Haggstrom, because "you were just interested in the way it affected me sports-wise, emotionally wise, and my preparation."

In 2008, Jackson told The Voice, a black British newspaper, that he believed gay athletes no longer faced stigma. "It's the 21st century. I don't think anybody thinks about that any more. There might have been a stigma in years gone by," he said.

Jackson retired from competition in 2003, but continues to work a sports broadcaster for BBC.