Canadian luger John Fennell publicly comes out as gay

Canadian luger John Fennell has publicly revealed that he is gay.

The 19-year-old, who says that he used to date girls in high school, represented his country in the Winter Olympics in Sochi earlier this year.

Fennell, the son of former Canadian Football League player David, has revealed that it became "exhausting" trying to hide his true sexuality.

Fennel told the Calgary Herald: "It's suffocating. You have to play this game of, 'who knows?' You can't let off any vibes or secrets.

"You have to act super macho. You have to be hyper aware of your mannerisms and to not let off any vibes that could get detected. It's very exhausting. It's an all-consuming paranoia of who could find out through what means."

Fennell first competed for Canada in the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria.