Tom Daley's emotional SPOTY speech after finally ending pursuit of Olympic gold in Tokyo
Tom Daley spoke of the importance of inclusivity and accessibility to sport for all people after winning Olympic gold as a gay man during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Daley won the men's 10-metre synchronised platform diving competition alongside Matty Lee this summer, clinching his first gold medal at his fourth Games.
Daley first featured at the Olympics in Beijing in 2008, and first medalled at London 2012, with a bronze in the 10m platform individual event, following that up with another bronze in the synchronised event at Rio 2016.
Daley's gold in Tokyo earned him a place on the nominees list for Sunday's BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, and he spoke of the journey that took him to Olympic gold.
"Seeing how far I've come from that little kid - and my dad would take me to every training session, every competition with that giant British flag," Daley said. "I'm so sad he didn't to see me win Olympic gold, I think he would be so proud. I knew that I could win it, but I'd almost settled with the fact that it was never going to be me.
"Matty Lee is one of my best friends. Being able to go through an Olympic journey with someone else - I was a blubbering mess on that podium! I couldn't breathe I was crying so much. To be able to share that moment with a friend was really special.
"I'm married, I have a kid, to be able to say that I'm a gay man that was able to compete at an Olympic Games, there are so many people around the world that aren't comfortable enough to be able to do that, they need our help.
"It's important that we make sport accessible and inclusive for everyone and that everyone has a space."
Daley's father, Robert, died in 2011 after a battle with cancer.
"My dad was my biggest cheerleader," Daley said. "After all those years, he never got to see me win an Olympic medal.
"That kid [Tom's nine-year-old self] had a very, very big dream of what he wanted to achieve.
"I thought Rio was my chance and I crashed out monumentally.
"Going into Tokyo was the first time I truly believed we could win an Olympic gold.
"It was like a moment of a flashback of everything I'd done, the highs and lows."
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