As a trampolinist, Mitcham represented Australia at the World Junior Championships in 1999 and 2001, winning the double mini-tramp event.

Mitcham competed at the 2002 World Junior Diving Championships, where he placed 11th in the 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) springboard, 5th in the 3 m and 16th in the 10 m platform.

His win prevented China from claiming a clean-sweep of all diving gold medals at the Olympic Games.

Following his victory at the 2008 Summer Olympics, Mitcham placed fourth in his next major contest on the 10-metre platform, the 2009 World Aquatics Championships in Rome.

At the 2010 Commonwealth Games, Mitcham won four silver medals, partnering fellow Australian diver Ethan Warren to come runner-up in the synchronized events in both the 3 and 10-metre.

As outlined in his 2012 autobiography, Mitcham commenced use of recreational methamphetamine in 2011, becoming addicted to the substance and subsequently recovering with the assistance of Narcotics Anonymous.

[10] In December 2011, Mitcham returned from an abdominals injury to win the Australian 10-metre platform with 480.05 points putting his Olympic dreams back on track.

Mitcham placed 13th in the semifinals of the 10m event at the 2012 Summer Olympics, narrowly missing the mark to qualify for the finals.

After a successful crowdfunding campaign in December 2013,[12][better source needed] the show premiered at the 2014 Fringe World festival in Perth.

[13] In 2013, Mitcham became a judge on the Australian diving show Celebrity Splash!, alongside Greg Louganis and Alisa Camplin.

"[full citation needed] In 2009, Mitcham secured financial support from the Australian telecommunications provider Telstra.

[17] In March 2010, Mitcham was announced as the new face of Funky Trunks and has appeared on advertising campaigns across Australia, Europe and the United States.

[21] In 2009, Matthew Mitcham was the Chief of Parade of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras[22] after being declared the 2008 Australian Sports Performer of the Year.

He competed in an episode of Australian game show Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation, representing 'Gen Y' with comedian Josh Thomas.

[27] Mitcham gained media coverage in Australia as reporters thought he was the first Australian to compete at the Olympic Games as an openly gay man at the time of his competition.

[31][32] Other notable gay Australian Olympians include Ji Wallace, who competed at the 2000 Summer Olympics and won a silver medal in the inaugural trampoline event; however, he came out after the Games, as well as Daniel Kowalski[33] and Ian Thorpe.

[34] Prior to his 10m platform win, Outsports.com reported Mitcham to be one of only ten openly gay athletes competing in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.