Tom Daley wins silver in synchronised diving at Paris 2024 Olympics

Daley, one of the most prominent LGBTQ+ athletes at the Paris 2024 Olympics, secured a silver alongside diving partner Noah Williams.

News . Written by Beatrice Fanucci.

Tom Daley and diving partner Noah William after winning silver at the Paris 2024 Olympics, as they salute the crowd wearing red jumpers on a blue background.
Image: Via X - @TeamGB

Openly gay British athlete Tom Daley and his diving partner Noah Williams have won a silver medal in the men’s 10m synchronised event at the Paris Olympics, which took place today, July 29.

This silver represents the fifth Olympic medal for the LGBTQ+ diver, who won the gold alongside then diving partner Matty Lee at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, as well as three bronzes in previous events. For his current partner Noah Williams, today’s silver is his first Olympic medal.

While the pair managed to secure a silver, they lost out on the gold to China’s Lian Junjie and Yang Hao. The diving final started strong for the British team, with the pair scoring 53.40 in the first dive. For the first two dives, Great Britain and Canada were tied on 105.00, however a stunning third dive earned Daley and Williams a 4.8 advantage over the Canadians.

Extending the gap with the following dives, the pair took home the silver in the final round with their hardest dive of the competition, a forward four-and-a-half somersault. They finished behind China but managed to beat Canada, who secured the bronze.

 

Speaking to the BBC after the silver medal win at the Paris Olympics, Daley said: “It’s just so special. This time last year deciding to come back, never mind not knowing if I would make the synchro team. Doing it in front of my son, who asked me to come back, is so special. I now have [a medal] of every colour. I’ve completed the set.”

Daley’s husband Dustin Lance Black and their kids Phoenix Rose and Robbie were seen cheering in the crowd during the competition.

Daley spoke about coming back from retirement, saying: “As an athlete, you know to train smarter. You have to prioritise things in your life, not just diving. I was getting emotional just getting prepared for this. My husband has really been there, he’s taken the kids allowing me to travel when I’ve needed to. A happy athlete is a successful one.”

 

When asked about the future, he said: “I don’t know. We’ll enjoy today and see what the future holds. Right now, I’ll just go and enjoy time with my little ones.”

Daley was one of this year’s flag bearers for Great Britain at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony, making him one of the most prominent LGBTQ+ athletes to participate. Other queer athletes included Irish taekwondo martial artist Jack Woolley, American middle-distance runner Nikki Hiltz and Cameroonian boxer Cindy Ngamba, who made history as the first LGBTQ+ flagbearer for the Olympic Refugee Team.

 

The opening ceremony of this year’s Olympics was full of camp and queer performances, also including a rendition of Renée Jeanmaire’s ‘Mon Truc en Plume’ by pop icon Lady Gaga and Celine Dion’s appearance atop the Eiffel Tower. However, one of the performances that attracted the most attention was the segment where RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant Nicky Doll and other performers appeared seated at a long table, seemingly preparing for a feast.

The performance sparked outrage among religious and conservative groups, as well as far-right leaders, who claimed it was a parody of The Last Supper. Clarifying the meaning behind the performance, the official Olympics X (formerly Twitter) account wrote: “Olympics: The interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus makes us aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings”.

Commenting on the performance and responding to the criticism, French drag artist Nicky Doll said, “I had a dream, and that dream came to life yesterday. I had the dream that France would represent its people to the fullest on the world’s biggest stage, biggest show: The Opening Ceremony of the Olympics. And thanks to so many amazing souls… this happened.”

“It was my absolute honor to perform in front of billions of people around the world, and celebrate our Olympians. And remember, to the ones that had their feathers ruffled seeing queerness on their screen: WE AIN’T GOING NOWHERE!”

 

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