After a disappointing medal-less performance in the men's synchronized diving championships at the Olympics, popular British diver Tom Daley used Twitter to out a troll who sent a hateful message referencing his late father.
The 18-year-old Daley is one of Britain's most popular Olympic athletes, attracting a large fan base for his youth, skill and pop idol image. On Twitter, he has more than 580,000 followers. British supporters had high hopes for him and and partner Pete Waterfield to win gold in Monday's 10-meter synchronized diving contest, but they finished fourth after flubbing their final dive.
After the event, Twitter user @Rileyy_69 sent Daley a public message reading, "you let your dad down i hope you know that."
Daley's father, whom the diver credits with inspiring his Olympic drive, died of a brain tumor in May 2011.
Daley then posted this tweet:
After giving it my all...you get idiot's sending me this...RT @Rileyy_69: @TomDaley1994 you let your dad down i hope you know that— Tom Daley (@TomDaley1994) July 30, 2012
The post then went viral among supporters and after getting picked up by some British media outlets. It gained nearly 20,000 retweets in a period of just a few hours, and Daley re-posted messages from followers using the hashtag #GetRileyy_69Banned.
Daley's harasser later tweeted an apology, saying he didn't know of the star diver's father dying last year. But when Daley didn't respond, Riley reverted back to his prior form:
@TomDaley1994 why don't you respond to me you prick stop getting me hate alright I've said I'm sorry now fuck off— ЯIᄂΣY JЦПIӨЯ (@Rileyy_69) July 30, 2012
He also didn't take kindly to a Sky News report on the story:
@SkyNews you fucking report me on the news again i'll have you done for harrassment and a lawsuit you get me final chance you cunts— ЯIᄂΣY JЦПIӨЯ (@Rileyy_69) July 30, 2012
Daley later recognized his supporters with this message:
Thank you everyone for all your support before, during and after the synchro, the atmosphere was incredible! Now focussing on the individual— Tom Daley (@TomDaley1994) July 30, 2012
Do you think it's appropriate for high-profile athletes to use Twitter to call out trolls? Share your opinion below.
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