Tom Daley has spoken out following his Tokyo 2020 Olympics victory to declare his pride at being able to show young LGBTQ+ people that they can “achieve anything”.
The 27-year-old diver, who made his Olympic debut 13 years ago, was moved to tears on the podium after he and Matty Lee secured a highly-coveted gold medal in the 10 metre synchronised diving. The British pair beat out the Chinese favourites to become Olympic champions and Tom’s husband Dustin Lance Black’s adorable reaction posted on social media has captured the imaginations of the nation.
Tom and Dustin married in a beautiful ceremony in Devon back in 2017. The couple welcomed their first child, Robbie Ray, a year later and have been open about their surrogacy journey and life as parents.
Now the world-class diver has spoken out about his pride at being both “a gay man and also an Olympian Champion” as he revealed his hope that he’s shown fellow LGBTQ+ people what is truly possible.
“I hope that any young LGBT person out there can see that no matter how alone you feel right now, you are not alone. You can achieve anything,” Tom declared.
The newly-crowned champion then went on to compare how there are now far more openly out athletes competing in Tokyo than there were when he came out back in 2013.
“In terms of out athletes, there are more openly out athletes at these Olympic Games than any Olympic Games previously,” he explained.
“I came out in 2013 and when I was younger I always felt like the one that was alone and different and didn’t fit. There was something about me that was never going to be as good as what society wanted me to be.”
Opening up on the wonderful feeling of being so supported, Tom then described his pride at all he’s achieved, revealing he once wouldn’t have believed it of himself.
He stated, “There is a whole lot of your chosen family out here ready to support you. I feel incredibly proud to say that I am a gay man and also an Olympic champion.”
“When I was younger I didn’t think I’d ever achieve anything because of who I was. To be an Olympic champion now just shows that you can achieve anything.”
Tom’s latest medal joins his bronze medals gained in the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Competing at just 17 years old in his first Olympics, Tom’s skill and positivity has continued to shine throughout the years.
Speaking about being able to compete in his third Olympics after Rio, Tom revealed, “My husband said to me my story wasn’t finished and my son needed to be there to watch me win an Olympic gold medal.
“I can say my son watched me become an Olympic champion, albeit on TV as they couldn’t be here. It’s such a great feeling,” he powerfully declared.
More recently, the Olympian raised awareness at the Opening Ceremony of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, though he was not competing at the event.
