Fans defend Tom Daley after trolls blame early Olympics exit on him ‘turning gay’
Many have taken to Twitter to defend out gay Olympic diver Tom Daley against trolls who blamed his sexual orientation for his early exit from the Rio Olympics.
The 22-year-old made a shock early exit from the Rio Olympics 10m platform diving, as he failed to make the finals, after winning in the preliminary heat.
After he exited the competition, some took to social media to suggest that his sexual orientation was the reason he did not make the final.
Christian Voice took to Twitter to write: “Turning gay doesn’t seem to have done Tom Daley any favours at #Rio2016.”
But fans of the diver, including famed Harry Potter author JK Rowling, took to social media to defend him against the abuse.
Rowling wrote: “Can’t decide which is more offensive in this tweet, the stupidity or the spite.”
MP Stewart McDonald added: “Talk us through how one ‘turns gay’.”
Another tweeted wrote: “Deafening silence from the Christian tweeter (who felt being gay had ’caused’ Tom Daley to flunk) when Nicola Adams won her 2nd Olympic gold”.
Just in case anyone was wondering if Daley might retire from professional diving, he told reporters shortly after the semi-finals that he would be training for the next four years.
He tweeted that he was “truly heartbroken” but added that he would “never give up on his dream of being an Olympic champion.”
The 22-year-old has already hinted at an Olympic return, telling the BBC: “I’m so happy with how GB have done, so proud to be part of it and I wanted to be able to stand on top of that podium, so it will be another four years’ hard work.”
“Yesterday I scored the highest score ever in an Olympic Games. Today it wasn’t meant to be. That’s what diving does sometimes.
“I truly am heartbroken because I feel like I am in the peak physical condition and I could have won tonight.”
His fiance, producer Dustin Lance Black, took to Twitter to congratulate Daley.
He wrote: “We are all so proud of all you’ve achieved here in #Rio2016 @TomDaley1994. We fight again another day! ONWARD!”
Kate and Helen Richardson-Walsh played in the match against the Netherlands this evening, becoming the first married lesbian couple to jointly win an Olympic gold medal.
Daley who won a bronze medal with Daniel Goodfellow earlier this week in the synchronised diving finals.
Pictures of the water in the diving pool led to a mass speculation as to the dramatic change in colour earlier this week.
Two runners from New Zealand and America made a lovely gesture to one another at the Rio,helping each other to the finish line after they both fell.
An Italian open water swimming star earlier this week become the first Italian Olympic athlete at the Rio 2016 games to publicly come out as gay with an inspirational message about acceptance.
A record number of out LGBT Olympians took to Rio this year to participate in the games, but none were from Team Italy.
Tom Bosworth – a race walker for Team GB – tweeted a photo of himself proposing to his boyfriend on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro earlier this week.
Bosworth and his boyfriend were the second gay couple to engaged at this year’s games, after a rugby sevens player was proposed to by her girlfriend.
At the weekend, a Brazilian judo champion came out publicly as gay in an interview during the Rio Olympics.
