Gay dad adopted and supported a young athlete who is now shining in the Olympics. He saw him in Cambodia

«The story went on to talk about the close relationship between the father and his son, and something kind of clicked in my head … The article listed (the number of an adoption service) and so I called the number and I said ‘I just read an article, is it possible for a single person to adopt a child?’ and they said ‘Yes, it is.'»

– Jerry Windle told Today–

So, months later, he was holding a very sick and malnourished little boy in his arms. That child was Jordan, his son, whom he loved from day one. He was a small boy who arrived at the orphanage in Cambodia when he was only one year old and was adopted when he was eighteen months old. Today, he’s all grown up and has become a young athlete who is no less than one of the members of the United States Olympic Diving team.  Although he knows that his dad, unfortunately, won’t be able to be there to watch him compete in Tokyo 2020, he is «super excited« as well as always aware that where he is today is in large part to his dad Jerry.

«I can usually hear (my dad) out of everyone in the audience, which is awesome. Not having him at the Olympics will be different. I wish he was there, but that doesn’t really change what I’m going there to do: To have fun, show off a little bit, and put on a show for everyone. That’s going to be my intention and I’m hopefully going to make him proud. There’s a lot of people, a lot more eyes on me, but if anything, it just makes me excited to be able to perform at my best and show that all this hard work can hopefully pay off… This has been a dream come true (…) I tell everyone, when they ask me why I dive, I dive purely for my dad and how much he loves watching me. 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. I have him to thank for everything, all my accomplishments. It’s been an amazing journey with him, and we’re still rolling.”

– declaró Jordan Windle–

Jerry was instrumental in getting the Cambodian-born youngster into training from the age of seven. It was at that age that a man named Tim O’Brien told him that his son reminded him of the legendary diving athlete, Greg Louganis, whose father had been his coach. He’d found a future Olympic diving star in the young son of this single, gay man.

“He said that he just saw something in Jordan, and it was kind of physiological but also inexplicable, and so Jordan said he wanted to go into diving lessons and I said ‘OK if it’s something you want to do, let’s do it. And so at 7 years old, he started diving, and he won his first junior national championship two years later, which is almost unprecedented for somebody that just got into a sport. I know the hard work that he’s put into it, it’s been earned, and I’m just really excited and proud that with his coaching staff, he’s been able to accomplish such an amazing feat. I know that Jordan knows that I’m with him. That I physically can’t be there is incredibly disappointing, because I just love the show that he puts on … (…) We’re going to have a huge watch party out here in California (…) This is Jordan’s journey and this is the pinnacle of it, and I want him to enjoy this experience as best he can … That’s what I’ve always wanted for him.»

– said Jerry Windle–

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At the age of 16, Jordan returned to Cambodia to compete in a diving exhibition to inspire young children in the country. He was greeted by many people and the media. Despite his American nationality, he was followed as a Cambodian national hero as the crowd cheered «Pisey», his original name, several times. Here, the young man shared his story with many orphans and told them that he was able to get to where he is because of his father. He then looked at the local government officials and declared: «I hope they give all these kids the opportunity my dad gave me».

Six years have passed since then, and today, Jordan is 22 years old. This young man will compete for the United States at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games with the Cambodian flag tattooed on his arm and his father in his heart.