One of our favorite humans is on his way to the Summer Olympics.
German diver Timo Barthel, who bypasses traditional sexual labels, took home gold and silver medals recently at the World Aquatics Championships in Qatar. His impressive performance earned him a spot in Paris, which will be his second straight Olympics.
On Instagram, he congratulated his German teammates, and the great Tom Daley (the Olympic icon also qualified for Paris 2024 at the event).
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“My favorites win a medal and we got the ticket for Paris 😍,” posted Barthel. “A very successful week comes to an end🤩 also good to see @tomdaley back in diving. Amazing comeback with 🥇 & 🥈. Also my love @noah_w9 won his first big medal 😍.”
It’s apparent Barthel is overjoyed with his friends’ successes. The emojis provide a big clue!
It’s really sweet, and refreshing, to see somebody celebrate others.
😍😍😍
Barthel first caught our eye in the lead-up to Tokyo 2020, when a couple of social media posts suggested he might identify as LGBTQ+.
For Pride Month, the European gold medalist posted a photo wearing a shirt with rainbow stripes and a rainbow heart.
The caption simply reads, “Humanity.”
The previous summer, Barthel shared a picture of himself in a speedo, accompanied by a message of inclusion.
“What a sick world If i go to the beach as a diver (speedo) they insult me as a [expletive] and they are laughing,” he wrote. “If I go like everybody with a „normal“ short, everything is fine. F– off envious people Be yourself and don’t care what other people think ❤️ We are all humans. White, black, orange, thick, thin, gay ……… !!! I accept you ❤️.”
When Outsports asked Barthel about his sexual identity, he said he rejects labels, and thinks we should respect all people.
“I am not given a name,” he said. “Human is human. It’s doesn’t matter which side you attracted to and It doesn’t matter which skin color you have. Human is human. All of our blood is red.”
It’s hard to argue with that. When a decorated male athlete publicly supports inclusion, it matters.
Barthel, 27, has been raking up medals over the last several years. He won the 2015 and 2017 German diving championships, and was an extended selection for the 2016 Games.
At the 2020 Olympics, he placed 17th in the men’s 10-meter platform.
Since then, Barthel has competed in multiple events, including last year’s European Championship.
He won the 10-meter platform, earning his first gold medal at the event.
“It’s unbelievable. I’m just speechless,” Barthel told Swim Swam. “Last year I won the preliminary too and then I did a bad job in the final, so finally I got the gold medal. It’s just amazing and now we have the place for Germany, but it’s just for Germany, not my place, so I have to take it next year at the German nationals and the qualification.”
Barthel accomplished what he set out to achieve. Along the way, he’s also found time to update his OnlyFans, making him at least the second male Olympian to accomplish the impressive feat. (Rower Robbie Manson, who qualified for his fourth Games representing New Zealand, is the other.)
With more than 90,000 followers on Instagram and TikTok, Barthel provides his admirers with plenty of exclusive footage.
While Barthel might not identify as gay, he seems to understand the power of male friendships. He competes against his rivals in the pool, and smiles with them afterwards.
Training in Dubai, he took time to pose with French diver Alexis Jandard.
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While in Japan last summer, Barthel shared a moment in the jacuzzi with Mexican diver Diego Balleza Isaias.
Their affection for one another shines through.
“Brother ❤️,” wrote Barthel.
We love a guy who loves heart emojis.
We can’t wait to see who else Barthel celebrates on his way to Paris.
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henare
when they “reject all labels” you know for sure they have teh ghey!