Before he stepped off the diving platform at the Tokyo Olympics this summer, 22-year-old American diver Jordan Windle paid a heartfelt tribute to his single gay dad for getting him there.
Windle told Today he would never have made it as one of the world’s top divers if it hadn’t been for his father, Jerry, who adopted him at just 18 months old.
“I tell everyone, when they ask me why I dive, I dive purely for my dad and how much he loves watching me,” Jordan said. “Without him making all the sacrifices that he has, and his love and support the whole time we’ve been together, I really wouldn’t be where I am today.”
Jerry Windle adopted Jordan from a Cambodian orphanage in the 1990’s. As a single gay man, Jerry told Today he initially didn’t think he could start his family through adoption.
But that all changed when Jerry came across a magazine with a story about a man who had adopted a child from Cambodia, which he said “didn’t mention a mother.”
As a baby, Jordan had several health complications, but Jerry nursed him back to health. Jordan said if it weren’t for his gay dad, he never would have reached his dream of becoming an Olympic athlete.
“I have him to thank for everything, all my accomplishments,” Jordan said of his dad. “It’s been an amazing journey with him, and we’re still rolling.”
Jordan, a seven-time senior national champion and six-time junior national individual champion, placed 9th in his Olympic debut on Friday August 6th.
