Tom Daley: Diving legend, 30, announces retirement

In an interview with Vogue, the 30-year-old has confirmed he won’t dive competitively once more and that his fifth Olympics was his final.

It’s the finish of a totemic profession that has produced 5 Olympic medals and numerous unforgettable moments as Daley has constructed an indelible bond with the British public.

The Plymothian’s final act was to win 10m synchro silver with Noah Williams at Paris 2024, finishing the set of Olympic medals within the course of.

“It was emotional on the finish, up there on the platform, realizing it was going to be my final aggressive dive,” he advised Vogue. “However I’ve to make the choice in some unspecified time in the future, and it looks like the correct time. It’s the correct time to name it a day.”

It’s becoming that Daley was chosen as Flagbearer for the Opening Ceremony within the French capital, the primary diver to take action, sharing the honour with rowing’s Helen Glover.

WHEN DID TOM DALEY START DIVING

Daley’s unbelievable journey dates again to the Life Centre in Plymouth the place an eight-year-old Daley was noticed by a coach, Andy Banks.

Banks remembers: “He was zippy, he was quick, he was conscious of the place he was and he had a capability to get by way of the water actually fairly nicely. The opposite factor that impressed me is while you mentioned to him: ‘you’re doing this however what I would like is that,’ his capacity to make modifications was important.”

There was just one drawback: Daley couldn’t bear being away from mum Debbie and pa Rob. Coaching camps have been an ordeal and coaches needed to ask him to practise sleepovers.

One observer remembers: “I stroll into Tom’s room and also you see these home windows – the form of resort home windows that solely open to this point – and he’s standing, balling his eyes out, attempting to push the window going, ‘Should you don’t name my dad and mom now, I’m going to leap, I wish to get out of right here, I’m not doing this.’

“I used to be there a very long time, listening, reassuring him, reminding him we have been there to assist him obtain his big-dream objectives, and we lastly bought him downstairs to dinner and he sat proper within the nook and all he ate was Jaffa Truffles.”

The diving pool was the one place the place all the pieces felt okay and that is among the the explanation why we noticed him again on Staff GB for a fourth Olympics.

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TOM DALEY: THE INSPIRATION

The photographs of a 14-year-old Daley, the youngest British Olympian in generations, at Beijing 2008 are nonetheless so vivid.

Diving is Daley and Daley is diving. He has transcended the game many occasions over nevertheless it all comes again to that feeling of flying by way of the air and dropping simply sufficient management.

Daley has weathered his justifiable share of storms: he was severely bullied at college, taunted as ‘Speedo Boy’ and threatened with damaged legs. The devastating lack of Rob, who adopted his son to competitions all over the world, to a mind tumour in 2011 undoubtedly formed the years that adopted.

Daley has all the time met such moments with openness, a willingness to be susceptible and a pointy consciousness of how he can use his platform to advance causes he cares about.

After popping out on his YouTube channel in 2013, he has been a tireless campaigner and advocate for the LGBTQ+ neighborhood. He has used the levers of the Commonwealth Video games as a way to problem anti-gay legal guidelines and made it his ‘mission’ to make use of sport to disgrace such nations, carrying an rainbow flag into the opening ceremony at Birmingham 2022.

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PARIS 2024 CALLING

The reply to Tom Daley’s new ‘why’ is a posh one however we positively know ‘when’ he determined to return again to the Olympic stage – a go to to the USA Olympic and Paralympic Museum in Colorado final 12 months.

The 29-year-old began sobbing when a video tugged on the heartstrings of what it means to be an Olympian. His son, Robbie, requested him why he was crying: “‘These are glad tears, I simply actually miss diving and I want I may return and compete within the Olympics.’”

Robbie returned: ‘Papa, I wish to see you dive within the Olympics.’ The deal was completed.

Daley bought again into full-time coaching, dividing his time between the College of California and the London Aquatics Centre whereas nonetheless placing household first. He’s nonetheless coached by Jane Figueiredo, who he has labored with since 2013.

He duly struck up a brand new synchro partnership with Noah Williams, with the pair qualifying for the Video games due to a silver medal on the World Championships in February after which reaching the rostrum in Paris.

Sportsbeat 2024