Tokyo 2020: Team GB wins string of medals with Tom Daley getting first Olympic gold

26 July 2021, 09:01 | Updated: 26 July 2021, 14:14

Tom Daley: I am proud to be gay and an Olympic champion

By Asher McShane

Great Britain's olympians secured a bumper medals haul on day three in Tokyo with a hat-trick of golds in the space of just a few hours.

Alex Yee claimed silver in the men's triathlon before British swimmer Adam Peaty made Olympic history by winning gold for the second time.

Then Tom Daley finally won his first Olympic gold alongside Matty Lee in the men's synchronised 10m platform. It is Daley's third Olympic medal after he won bronze at the London and Rio Games.

Tom Pidcock then won gold in men's mountain bike cross-country cycling.

Tom Daley and Matty Lee have won the gold medal in the men's synchronised 10 metres platform
Tom Daley and Matty Lee have won the gold medal in the men's synchronised 10 metres platform. Picture: Alamy

Daley and Lee were in tears of joy as they embraced each other at the side of the pool after learning they'd won gold.

After winning gold Daley said: "You want to win an Olympic gold medal but never think you actually will. I will carry on but I will definitely take a break. There are some beverages with my name on it to celebrate with my husband and family.

READ MORE: Tom Daley's inspirational message to young LGBT people: You can achieve anything

"This means an incredible amount. All athletes put in such hard work and dedication into our performances. To be an Olympic champion after four attempts at it feels extremely special."

Tom Daley and Matty Lee taking gold in Tokyo
Tom Daley and Matty Lee taking gold in Tokyo. Picture: Alamy

Lee added: "In 2018 I moved my whole life to London from Leeds, I had nothing really in London. Our aim was to get an Olympic medal and for it to go the way we wanted it to is awesome.

The diving pair were among three gold medal winners on day three in Tokyo
The diving pair were among three gold medal winners on day three in Tokyo. Picture: Alamy

"I owe a lot to Tom because he has taught me a lot."

China reached 470.58 in the diving but Team GB's won with 471.81.

Daley and Lee held their nerve with a flawless performance.The pair never dropped out of the top two to beat China to the title by just 1.23 points.

It was the crowning glory of an Olympic career for Tom which started in Beijing in 2008 as a 14-year-old.

A near perfect final dive - a four-and-a-half somersaults tuck - when the pressure was on in the last round proved the pair's star quality.

City of Leeds Diving Club said on Twitter: "OH MY GOD!!!! @mattydiver OLYMPIC CHAMPION with synchro partner @TomDaley1994. That was amazing!!!!"

Adam Peaty made history by becoming the first British swimmer to defend an Olympic title.

He took gold in the men's 100 metres breaststroke.

Yorkshireman Tom Pidcock became an Olympic champion at the age of just 21 after a fearless display in Izu, riding down the finishing straight carrying a British flag as he claimed the country's first medal in mountain biking.

Pidcock is a huge talent across cycling disciplines and his success came less than two months after he suffered a broken collarbone in a training crash on the road.

Lauren Williams also won silver in the -67kg taekwondo final. She led by three points with 10 seconds to go but a late rally from Jelic forced the Briton to settle for silver.

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