Tom Daley wins his first-ever Olympic gold medal
Tom Daley announced his retirement from diving after taking home silver at Paris 2024. (Instagram/@tomdaley)
Tom Daley has won his first-ever Olympic gold medal alongside his men’s synchronised diving partner Matty Lee.
Team Great Britain’s Daley and Lee won the gold with a score of 471.81 in the men’s synchronised 10 metres platform on Monday (26 July). Tokyo 2020 is Daley’s fourth time competing in the Olympics after first stepping into the Olympic arena in 2008.
The British pair were closely matched with the Chinese diving team, scoring only a few points under them each round. In the fourth round, Daley and Lee performed their most complex dive in the competition to roaring cheers of the crowds.
The nail-biting round resulted in just a point separating the two Olympic teams going into the final round. Daley and Lee could be seen nervously watching their competition dive right after their wonderfully executed performance. But, in a rare misstep, the Chinese team – who were favourites going into the games – fumbled during their last dive, pushing Daley and Lee into the top spot by just 1.23 points.
The diving pair screamed in joy and tightly hugged each other with tears in their eyes as the results were read out. This stunning win is Daley’s third Olympic medal after he won bronze at the London and Rio games.
GOLD. GOLD. GOLD.@TomDaley1994 and @mattydiver are Olympic champions 🥇#TeamGB pic.twitter.com/ocstLZ4ZfP
— Team GB (@TeamGB) July 26, 2021
Daley told the BBC that he couldn’t believe that he had finally won his first Olympic gold medal. He said “lots of people probably would have counted me out of this Olympics” because he is “the older person” now.
But he said the pair have had an “unstoppable mentality” coming into the competition.
“I still honestly can’t believe what’s happening, and I honestly didn’t think I would get there in the first place, but here we are,” Daley said.
Dustin Lance Black, Daley’s husband, celebrated in the momentous win via Twitter. Lance said there were “no words” to described Daley’s Olympic dream coming true.
“You’re an Olympic champion,” Black told his husband.
No words! So so many tears! @TomDaley1994 you're an OLYMPIC CHAMPION! Congratulations Tom and @MattyLee!— Dustin Lance Black (@DLanceBlack) July 26, 2021
Tom Daley has admitted that diving isn’t the most important thing to him anymore
The out diver told The Daily Mirror in the run-up to the Olympic games that his priorities in life have shifted as he has competed in the sport over the years. He admitted that he used to “define myself by diving” and felt like his performance “reflected on me as a person”.
“Now, I’m first and foremost a father and husband,” Daley said frankly.
Tom Daley and husband Lance Black celebrating Christmas with their baby son. (@tomdaley/Instagram)
He discussed how he balances raising his young son Robbie and his career as a professional diver. Daley even said he has gotten “to a point” where he no longer defines himself by his achievements in the sport.
“Diving is extremely important to me,” Daley explained. “But I have other important things in my life, mainly being my son.”
He continued: “The thought that he is going to be able to watch me compete, even if it is on TV, excites me.”
There’s no news yet as to what Robbie’s reaction was to his dad taking home the gold, but it’s safe to say that he is probably very proud.
