Tom Daley splashes down at Heathrow – receiving a hero’s welcome after becoming the first British diver to win four Olympic medals
- Tom Daley was greeted by crowds of fans as he arrived at Heathrow Airport
- The Olympian won Olympic gold medal alongside athlete Matty Lee in Tokyo
- Finished third in men's 10 metres platform event behind Yang Jian and Cao Yuan
British Olympian Tom Daley appeared in high spirits as he landed at Heathrow Airport from Tokyo last night.
The gold medallist, 27, who became the first British diver to win four Olympic medals this month, waved to the crowds as he returned home with his medals.
The athlete's arrival comes after he won his long-sought Olympic gold medal alongside athlete Matty Lee in the men's 10 metre synchronised platform last month.
As he arrived at Heathrow, Daley beamed with joy as he took pictures with fans and members of staff who cheered his success in the Olympic games.
This week, the Olympic athlete finished third in the men's 10 metres platform event behind Chinese pair Yang Jian, who took silver and Cao Yuan who won the gold, despite a near-faultless display in the men's 10 metre platform.
British Olympic star Tom Daley appeared in high spirits arrived at Heathrow Airport yesterday
Daley hugged fans and showed his medals following his success in the Olympic Games in Tokyo
Daley led at the halfway stage after three successive 90-plus points scores but dipped below that standard of excellence with an 80.5 from his armstand back three somersaults with pike, which saw him slip off the pace.
While Daley rallied in his last two dives, an overall score of 548.25 was only good enough for a third-place finish as Cao Yuan (582.35) took the gold medal, with Chinese compatriot Yang Jian (580.4) collecting silver.
This result handed Daley, who made his Olympic debut when he was just 14, his third Olympic bronze and one gold medal.
Share this article
The star later told the BBC: 'I'm so happy. Back in May I didn't know if I would make it to the Games. If someone had told me then I'd win a gold and a bronze I would probably have laughed in their face.
'I'm extremely happy with a gold and a bronze and I'm so overwhelmed with all the love and support back home.
'It was close all the way through (the final) with the Chinese pair but they pulled away from me in the fourth round.'
The athlete took pictures with members of staff at the airport as they cheered his success
Daley, who made his Olympic debut when he was just 14, won his long-sought Olympic gold medal alongside athlete Matty Lee in Tokyo last month
Daley won the bronze medal this week as China claimed a famous one-two in a near-faultless display at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre
The scenes come after the Olympic star spoke out against Russian state TV after it made a number of homophobic attacks during the Olympics.
Channel Rossiya 1 made a number of bigoted slurs against Daley during the Tokyo Games, as well as against other LGBT athletes, by referring to homosexuality as an 'abomination' and a 'perversion'.
MP Alexei Zhuravlyov also pointed at a screen showing New Zealand trans athlete Laurel Hubbard, referring to her participation as 'smut and perversion.'
On Channel One, male presenter Anatoly Kuzichev also wore a wig to mock Hubbard.
Speaking in response to the bigoted remarks, Daley said: 'I had no idea. When we’re at the Olympics, we’re in a bubble and we don’t really see anything.
'History shows that everything that society is has been dictated from the straight, white, male experience.
'If we could come together and use different points of view, the world would be a better place.'
The IOC, which banned Russia from competing in Tokyo over state-sponsored doping, later said in a statement that 'discrimination has absolutely no place at the Olympic Games.'
Comments 0
Share what you think
No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.
