Tom Daley will compete in his fifth Summer Olympic Games.
The out gay diver has today been confirmed by the British Olympic Association as part of the diving squad for Team GB. That’s short for Great Britain.
Previously, Daley and synchro diving partner Noah Williams had secured a spot in the Paris Olympic Games synchro diving competition for their country. However, securing a spot for your country and being selected to fill that spot are two different steps.
“Congratulations to Tom in particular who becomes the first British diver to compete at five Olympic Games,” said Team GB Chef de Mission Mark England. “A remarkable achievement.”
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The duo of Tom Daley and Noah Williams had won gold at the British National Diving Cup in late 2023, so it was all mostly a formality. Still, the official designation as an Olympian for the fifth straight Olympics is a milestone for the out gay athlete.
They followed that up with a silver medal at the World Championships earlier this year.
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Qualifying for and competing in five Olympic Games is quite an achievement for any athlete. Making it more impressive, Daley had largely walked away from the sport a few years ago after Tokyo.
He said he returned to competitive diving in large part because he wanted his son to see his dad compete in an Olympics. His first son with husband Dustin Lance Black, Robert Ray, is now 6 years old. During the Tokyo Summer Olympics, he was only 3. Given the Tokyo Games allowed very few people in the stands, the Paris Games offers a chance for him to watch dad dive.
At just 1 year old, their newest addition to the family, son Phoenix Rose, won’t get the chance.
Daley already has four Olympic medals in his trophy case. That includes a gold medal in synchro diving at the Tokyo Olympics, which he won with diving partner Matty Lee.
He also has three bronze medals, also including synchro in 2016, with Daniel Goodfellow.
If he’s able to win another medal, Daley would join a small group of five-time Olympic medalists. That would include Greg Louganis, generally considered the greatest male diver of all time. Louganis’ four Olympic golds and one silver would have been even greater if not for the American boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics.
Regardless, Daley is about to do what he set out to do: dive in an Olympics with his husband and sons in the stands in Paris. His fifth and final Olympics may end up being the most memorable of them all.
