As a baby, Jordan Windle was found in a basket outside the doors of the Chom Chao Professional Orphanage for Women and Children in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Today, the 22-year-old is the first diver of Cambodian origin to participate in the Olympics.
From placement in an orphanage as a baby to adoption and arrival in the United States, Windle has lived it all: the struggle, the motivation, the ambition, the opportunity and now the Olympics.
Windle is set to compete in the 10-meter platform semifinals on Saturday in Tokyo (Friday night in the US).
Here’s a spotlight on the Olympic diver’s journey:
From Cambodia to the United States
Jerry Windle adopted Jordan when he was 18 months old. Jerry said he was sitting in a doctor’s office reading a magazine and waiting to speak to a doctor, who was late after the operation.
In the magazine, he came across an article about a man who had adopted a child from Cambodia. Jerry, who was single and gay, wanted the opportunity to have his own child.
“One of my desires from a young age was to be a father. I always wanted to be a father,” Jerry Windle told USA TODAY Sports. “When I found out that singles could adopt from Cambodia, this is the path I took.”
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He called the number for an adoption service listed at the bottom of the article and asked if single parents could adopt children. The service said yes, so they asked for information on how the adoption process works.
“I was previously a military officer and had a strong affinity with Cambodia because of the atrocities that happened with the Khmer Rouge and what happened during the Vietnam War,” Jerry said.
“And so I just felt a very strong connection to the country and what they went through, and I thought that if I could have the opportunity to give a home to a child, I could do something that would not only fulfill my dream of becoming a dad, but also do something for a country very affected by war and a country affected by poverty, especially after the Khmer Rouge. “
When the Cambodian orphanage sent him a photo of Jordan, Jerry said he had fallen in love.
“By the time I saw him in his photo, his eyes were watery and his lips were dry. He was staring at me through the photo,” Jerry said.
The nannies at the orphanage named him “Pisey”, which translates to “little darling” in English.
“They said they did it because he was a very tactful kid who loved to be cuddled, and he always wanted someone to hold him in his arms,” Jerry said.
To make sure Jordan wouldn’t be afraid to leave the orphanage, Jerry took a small photo frame and put his photo on one side and Jordan’s photo on the other and tied a string to create a necklace.
“I sent him to the orphanage and asked if they could give him this necklace and tell him about his dad and how his dad was going to come and take him home one day,” Jerry said.
When he first saw Jordan in person, Jerry said what struck him was how small Jordan was for being almost two years old. Jordan has also had several infections.
“There was a lot that Jordan went through as a kid,” Jerry said. “And I promised him the moment I held him that I would do everything in my power to make sure he had the best life a human could have.”
The beginning of Windle’s diving career
Living in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Jerry placed his 7-year-old son in a water camp while working at a hospital during the summer.
On the first or second day of camp, the coaches let the campers jump off the one-meter diving board and play in the pool. Jordan caught the attention of Tim O’Brien, who was the program’s head coach at the time.
O’Brien’s father, Dr. Ron O’Brien, had been Greg Louganis’ Olympic diving coach and coached the United States in eight Olympics.
“Tim said I should make Jordan part of his dive program,” Jerry said. “He said, ‘You have to get this kid to dive. He will one day be national champion. He might even be an Olympian one day. ‘
“He said watching Jordan reminded him of Greg Louganis, and he said Jordan had the perfect body for a diver. He had the spatial awareness of where he was in the air when he was jumping off diving boards and he just looked really good going in the water. “
Evan Lisette, one of Jordan’s first coaches on the program, told USA TODAY Sports that Jordan has shown he has the courage to persevere and usually does so with smiles and laughs with other teammates.
“Every diver is different both physically and mentally,” said Lisette. “Physically he had strength and grace. As he developed he was so fluid. Mentally he was a go-getter and wanted more.”
The Windles moved to Indianapolis, where Jordan practiced at the National Training Center, then North Carolina, where he then trained under Nunzio Esposto, the head diving coach at Duke University.
“It’s every coach’s dream to coach a kid who is passionate about their sport,” Esposto told USA TODAY Sports. “Jordan was a lot of fun to train and obviously very, very talented.
“He was constantly helping other athletes with their diving, and there was a short stint where he helped me coach some of the younger ones with the class schedule that I have. And so this is all pure love. Sport.”
Esposto said Jordan is highly motivated, knowing exactly what is going on with his body while he is in the air.
“Every time he got out of the water I would say something to him and he would say to me, ‘Yeah, I felt that’ or sometimes he would say to me, ‘That’s what was wrong’, and he was not right, ”Esposto said.
“It was magic”: the Olympian today
When Jordan qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, his coaches were thrilled.
“Watching him live on TV, I just remember getting up and putting my hands on my head, just like his dad, Jerry Windle did,” Lisette said. “Followed up to absolute goosebumps with the realization that Jordan has just won the Olympic title. Pure excitement and a few tears of joy.”
Jerry said his greatest accomplishment and his greatest pleasure was being able to raise, guide and love a child and give him opportunities.
“It was so natural for me to be a parent that I didn’t feel like people were saying I sacrificed and did this and that,” Jerry said. “Really, all I have done is give him an opportunity and open doors, so that he can become the best human being and citizen of the world he can be.”
Transparency and openness are important to Jerry, and as Jordan grew older Jerry said he would teach his son about Cambodian culture and origins.
“I always wanted Jordan to be transparent because I didn’t want to have unanswered questions when he was an adult,” Jerry said. “And so I shared with him from the start his birth story and his adoption story.”
Jerry said he cherished every moment he spent with his son.
“By establishing a bond and a relationship with Jordan, I bonded almost immediately. It was magical,” Jerry said. “Jordan has been and always will be, until I take my last breath, my priority as a human being.”
