home sweet home

Tom Daley receives a warm welcome home after returning from the World Aquatic Championships

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Dustin Lance Black and Tom Daley
Dustin Lance Black and Tom Daley (Photo: Shutterstock)

Tom Daley enjoyed diving success at the World Aquatic Championships in Doha last week. Daley won gold in the team event and silver with Noah Williams. The pair’s performance secured a spot for Team GB at the men’s synchronized 10m event at the Paris Olympics.

It doesn’t guarantee that Daley himself will appear as the UK’s relevant sporting body makes the final selection. However, it’s believed to be highly likely Daley has earned his spot. It would be Daley’s fifth Olympics, despite being only 29.

Daley and his family—husband Dustin Lance Black and sons Robbie, 5, and Phoenix, born last March—are now based in California. But Daley has spent most of the last month back in the UK training with his partner, Williams. He’s spoken before on his YouTube channel about how tough it is to be away from his family.

Husband Lance captured Daley returning home on the weekend and reuniting with his elder son, Robbie, at LAX. You can watch it below by swiping left. The little boy is clearly excited to see his papa again, running and throwing his arms tightly around his neck.

Robbie is also carrying a self-made sign saying “Welcome home and congratulations.”

The path back to the Olympics

Daley made his Olympics debut, aged just 14, in 2008 in Beijing. He subsequently won bronze medals in 2012 in London and 2016 in Rio. Alongside diving partner Matty Lee, he won the gold medal in the men’s synchronized 10m platform dive in 2020 in Tokyo.

After that win, he stepped back from diving for a couple of years. Daley says a trip to the Olympic and Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs, USA, with Robbie, last year made him decide to return to diving and try for one last Olympics.

“Paris 2024 is definitely a goal,” Daley said on YouTube last year. “I’m not ready to be done and I don’t think I was ready to be done and hang up my trunks and move on with that part of my life and especially when my son Robbie said ‘Pappa I want to see you dive at the Olympics’.”

He continued, “We had the best time at the Olympic and Paralympic Museum playing different games and at the end we went into a room to watch a video about what it means to be an athlete and see those inspirational journeys.

“I just wept; I couldn’t control myself, I hadn’t grieved diving.

“I hadn’t been doing it anymore and that I in theory had retired and couldn’t imagine going back to doing it again.

“Coming out of that museum something changed in me and that has lit a new flame and fire inside me to see where this goes.”

Despite the fact he will probably be the oldest diver at the games, it looks like Daley has realized his dream of one more Olympics. And this time it’s likely his older son will be able to watch and enjoy the experience. Husband Lance was among those to congratulate Daley online. He made it clear on his social media that as far as he’s concerned, Daley is definitely heading to Paris.

A screenshot of Dustin Lance Black's Instagram stories
(Screenshot)

Related:

Tom Daley’s new diving partner is also on OnlyFans & they’ve both got a lot to say about it

Tom Daley and his new diving partner, Noah Williams, got candid in a new YouTube video.

Tom Daley returns to the pool for the first time in 2 years and wins gold

Daley and partner Noah Williams won gold at the British National Diving Cup.

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