British 400m hurdler Seamus Derbyshire wasn’t projected to win medals at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, but in the eyes of many, he’s already won. On Monday night, Derbyshire made his senior British team debut, stepping into the starting blocks not just as an athlete, but as one of only three openly gay male competitors at these championships, according to OutSports.
Where some athletes offer a quiet smile or salute, or stare down the track in focus, Derbyshire dances, blows kisses and makes heart signs for the camera, soaking up the spotlight.
Seamus Derbyshire, atleta british de 400 v. Acaba de competir en los mundiales de Tokyo. “Gran parte de mi inspiración gay la encontré en en la música que escuchaba en el coche con mi madre. Nunca tuve referentes en el deporte, quizá pueda serlo yo ahora para alguien” pic.twitter.com/Iqtgtoyw5d
— Miguel Angel Garrosa (@Garrosa) September 15, 2025
Derbyshire’s moves first went viral last month at the 2025 British Championships, when he mimicked Glinda’s famous “toss toss” from the smash-hit Broadway musical Wicked before showering the camera with kisses and a heart. The clip shared to TikTok by French Olympian Rénelle Lamote garnered more than 200,000 views, turning the 400m hurdler into an unexpected star.
“@seamus you rocked it, I’m your biggest fan now,” wrote Lamote on the video. “We need more personalities like you in T&F.”
Derbyshire says the pre-race moves aren’t scripted or performed for any social media clout; they are just a natural expression of who he is, after years of battling pre-race anxiety, and thinking, more than once, of walking away from the sport.
“Embracing my authentic self as a proud, out gay man has helped unlock a new level of performance on the track,” Derbyshire told BBC Sport after placing seventh in his 400mH heat. “My heart breaks, but I am feeling proud to see how far I’ve come.”
His result in Tokyo was nearly a second off his personal best of 48.42 seconds, but if you asked Derbyshire, simply being able to show his authentic self on the world stage, during the biggest race of his career, was a gold medal in itself.
