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- Team GB diver Tom Daley says he feels empowered to be a "gay man and also an Olympic champion."
- The diver and his teammate Matty Lee triumphed in the men's synchronized 10-meter competition Monday.
- Daley said he hoped his win would inspire young LGBTQ people and show they can "achieve anything."
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Team GB diver Tom Daley said he felt "empowered" to be a gay man and Olympic champion and that he hoped his victory would inspire young LGBTQ people.
The 27-year-old scooped gold alongside his teammate Matty Lee in the men's synchronized 10-meter diving event on Monday, taking victory in a manner so emotional that even a TV reporter cried on air.
Speaking after victory, Daley said he hoped his win would show young LGBTQ people that "you can achieve anything."
"I came out in December 2013 and when I was younger, I always felt like the one who was alone and different and didn't fit in and there was something about me that was never going to be as good as society wanted me to be.
"I hope that any young LGBT person out there can see that no matter how alone you feel right now, you are not alone and that you can achieve anything. There is a whole lot of your chosen family out here ready to support you."
-LBC (@LBC) July 26, 2021
Daley first competed at the Olympics in 2008 and before Tokyo had earned two bronze medals at the games, but never taken home gold.
"I am incredibly proud to say that I am a gay man and also an Olympic champion. I feel very empowered by that.
"When I was younger, I thought I was never going to be anything or achieve anything because of who I was and to be an Olympic champion now shows that you can achieve anything," Daley said.