Television star. Crochet lover. And now, after four Olympics, Tom Daley has his gold medal

(CNN) – He is a television star and a lover of crocheting. And now, in his fourth Olympics, Tom Daley has finally won the gold medal.

The long wait for Daley of the British team to top an Olympic podium ended after winning the men’s 10-meter synchronized diving competition with teammate Matty Lee on Monday.

The British couple had to wait as Chinese Cao Yuan and Chen Aisen completed their final dive in Tokyo 2020, breaking into emotional celebrations once it became clear that they had won gold.

Still remaining in the top two throughout the competition, the British pair finished with 471.81 points, 1.23 ahead of China, while the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) team came in third.

It’s Daley’s third Olympic medal – he won bronze in both 2012 and 2016, after making his Olympic debut in 2008 when he was 14 years old.

The 27-year-old could be seen crying as the British national anthem, “God Save The Queen,” was played during the medal ceremony.

“Oh my gosh, it’s amazing,” Daley told reporters afterward. “I have dreamed, like Matty, since I started diving 20 years ago, of this moment of becoming an Olympic champion. And that it would come in my fourth Olympics, when I think a lot of people probably wouldn’t have considered it my peak Olympics. .

“I thought I was going to win an Olympic gold medal in Rio, and by far the opposite turned out. And it was my husband who told me that my story was not finished, and that my son or baby – we didn’t know at the time – I needed to be there to see me win an Olympic gold medal. “

In December 2013, Daley spoke about his sexuality on YouTube and, almost eight years later, the Brit is proud of the LGBT representation he has witnessed at the Games.

“When I was a kid, I felt like a stranger, and I felt different, and I felt like I was never going to be anything, because who I was, was not what society wanted me to be,” he said.

“And being able to see LGBT people performing at the Olympics, I hope (that) can give young children hope and not feel so scared and fearful and alone, and that they can see that it doesn’t matter who you are, from where you come, you can become an Olympic champion, because I did it. “

Daley’s husband is Dustin Lance Black. Their son, Robert Ray Black-Daley, was born in June 2018.

“The fact that I can say that my son saw me become an Olympic champion, even though on television and they couldn’t be here, it’s just a great feeling. And to be able to do it with your best friend as well. And share that moment where you’re at the back of the podium, “added Daley.

After the 2012 Olympics, Daley acted as a mentor to a group of celebrities who competed on the reality show “Splash,” a show that pitted celebrities against each other as they tried to learn how to dive.

Hard work pays off

Daley’s gold medal success marks a new pinnacle in the career of the 27-year-old who, having burst onto the scene as a young man, had the hopes of a nation on his shoulders.

A year before the 2012 London Games, Daley’s father died of a brain tumor, and the British diver had previously described his dad as his “biggest cheerleader.”

And since then, the British diver has taken steps to try to raise money to help others in a similar position.

He told The Guardian earlier this year that he started knitting early in the pandemic, and now has an Instagram account that showcases some of his creations.

On his Crowdfunder page, he said he plans to “slowly raffle off my creations and hope to raise a lot of money for charity.”

So far he has posted photos of himself, his husband, and their son dressed in bright colors, as well as Malaysian diver Cheong Jun Hoong.

After his Olympic victory on Monday, Daley’s husband, Black, said he had “no words” but “a lot of tears” after Daley became an Olympic champion.