Tom’s rule the Olympics
In many cultures across the world, a name has an innate power to it. It is said in eastern cultures that to name something is to have power over it. There has been no better proof of this than Team GB’s performance at Tokyo 2020, where three gold medal winners are all called Tom.
People called Tom from Great Britain have won as many Olympic gold medals @Tokyo2020 as the whole of Australia
If Tom GB was a nation, would be 8th!@TomDaley1994 🥇 #Diving @Tompid 🥇MountainBike @tomdean00 🥇Swimming #Tokyo2020
— Francis Keogh (@HonestFrank) July 27, 2021
Shockingly, the Toms have more medals combined than the entirety of Australia. Perhaps the government should call all Toms for duty before Paris 2024, that way, we can get them trained up and ready to bring home buckets of gold medals.
Just when I thought @TomDaley1994 couldn't possibly make us any prouder, he goes and does this: https://t.co/MRQJdvRwKr
— Dustin Lance Black (@DLanceBlack) July 26, 2021
Tom Daley finally got his gold medal after fourteen years of tireless work. Having grown emotional multiple times, Daley then dedicated his speech to LGBTQ youth, which spurred loving messages from across the country.
Mountain biker Tom Pidcock also brought home the gold, unravelling a Great Britain flag as he crossed the finish line.
What a day. Insane. No words. Olympic champion #mtb pic.twitter.com/GAqKG0n1C6
— Tom Pidcock (@tompidcock) July 26, 2021
“I’m always better when I take control myself. I take my own lines, my own speed. Once we started I was fine, all the nerves kind of went and I concentrated on the race,” he told the BBC.
“It’s nothing like any other race. The Olympics just transcends any sport. You compete and represent your country and everyone in your country is behind you, no matter in what sports they like. It’s just national pride, it’s unbelievable.”
Im speechless and struggling to find the words. Tom Dean is the most talented swimmer I have EVER seen. I always knew he would win Olympic Gold one day but after getting COVID twice this year, I thought it would be 2024. He is INCREDIBLE. So proud DEANO- OLYMPIC CHAMP 🏅#TeamGB pic.twitter.com/95HtetBPTh
— Siobhan-Marie O'Connor (@SiobhanMOConnor) July 27, 2021
In the 200m freestyle, Tom Dean took home the gold while his teammate Duncan Scott got the silver. Dean touched home in one minute 44.22 seconds, securing a British record in his debut Games.
“The three-week build-up back to training had to be structured to prevent any long-term damage to my heart and lungs, so it was scary,” the swimmer, who has contracted Covid-19 on two occasions this year, explained to the BBC following his extraordinary win.
“It was upsetting because no-one takes six weeks off in the build-up to an Olympics. It was a real shock to the system.”
Related links:
- Tom Daley finally wins Olympic gold medal
- Simone Biles pulls out of Olympic women’s gymnastics team final
- Second judoka drops out of Olympics before facing Israeli
