Tom Daley claimed a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics alongside Noah Williams and incredibly that was Daley’s fifth Olympic medal. Paris 2024 was his fifth Olympic Games; his first was back in 2008 when the man from Plymouth was just a boy, aged 14. There has been a lot of water under the bridge and splashing out of the pool since then.
However, with Daley’s career as a diver surely now over – he retired after the 2020 Olympics (held in 2021), only to be lured out by a plea from one of his children – it seems the perfect time to look back on his fabulous five.
2008 – No Medals But Incredible Experience
At the age of just 14 Daley had a breakthrough year in 2008, becoming the youngest person to win his event at the British Championships and then going on to become the youngest person in any sport or event to win a European Championship gold. He then ultimately qualified for two events, the individual 10m dive and also the 10m platform synchro, at that year’s Beijing Olympics.
He didn’t win a medal but he impressed, finishing eighth in synchro and seventh in the individual. It was clear that, aside from the many cute videos of the photogenic athlete, there was a very serious athlete here.
2012 – Home Olympics Sees First Medal
On home soil Daley, now a wily veteran of 18, was something of a poster boy at his home Olympics. Once again he had more than one shot at glory but things didn’t start well after he and Peter Waterfield failed to capitalise on a strong first three dives and ended up fourth.
Later in the Games the teenager returned for the 10m platform event (individual) and this time he started slowly, qualifying 15th of 18 for the semis. However, he stepped things up and with one dive remaining was in the gold medal position. Unfortunately, his final dive had a low difficulty ranking and so holding on to that never seemed likely. Despite a solid effort, he dropped to third, although he was happy with that outcome and at having garnered his first piece of Olympic metalware.
2016 – Rio Brings Another Bronze
Closing in on his pension at his third Games – or to put it more accurately, at the age of 22 – Daley was again fancied to go well in his two disciplines. In the platform synchro, he had a new partner in the shape of Cambridge diver, Daniel Goodfellow, three years his junior. The duo had a solid season in 2016, with multiple medals at FINA Diving World Cup and they continued that form with a bronze at Rio.
In the individual 10m event Daley failed to make the finals after a very poor semi. This was a surprise as, in the preliminary stage he topped the pile, scoring a then-record 571.85 points. Even so, it was another Games and another medal.
2021 – Brings Home Gold
It was very much a case of better late than never, for both Daley on an individual level and for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Due to health reasons, the Olympics actually took place in 2021 but it was worth the wait for the diving ace as he finally got his hands on Olympic gold. It was his best Games by a margin too as he also landed a bronze, taking his tally to four medals from four Games.
The gold came in the 10m synchro alongside Leeds diver Matty Lee. Daley had earlier won his first World Cup gold alongside Lee in the 2021 FINA event which Japan used as a test competition for the Games later in the year. The omens were good and the pair duly delivered at the main event.
He and Lee were simply superb in what was a tense and nervous finale. At the age of 27, Daley finally got to wear a gold medal around his neck at the Games and stood on the top tier of the podium. China had won this event at every Games since 2000 but the brilliant Brits held their bottle and, top of the standings after four dives, didn’t flinch in the final two. They had to watch on as Chinese pair Cao Yuan and Chen Aisen took their final dive but it soon became apparent that they hadn’t done enough. It was fourth time lucky for Daley as youngster Lee took gold at his first attempt!
Almost two weeks later Daley had the individual contest to deal with and whilst he couldn’t quite match his accomplishments of the synchro he dived well. Another bronze was added to the collection and within a couple of years Daley retired from diving… or so we all thought.
2024 – “Papa” Completes Set
As a child, Daley had spoken about his dream of competing at five Olympics, liking the synchronicity with the five rings of the Games. However, childhood ambition and reality are rarely the same and after winning gold, settling down with partner, Dustin Lance Black, and having kids, Daley seemed more than content with four competitions and four medals.
Prior to the 2024 Olympics, he had not dived competitively for two years but when his son Robbie said he wanted to see “Papa dive at the Olympics” what was he to do? He promptly dug out the diving shorts, found another new partner in Noah Williams, and headed to Paris.
It wasn’t quite as quick and easy as that but once the decision was made to compete he and 24-year-old Londoner, Williams, were able to be selected and repaid the faith shown in them. Daley was a flagbearer for Team GB in Paris and with Williams, he stood up to be counted in the pool too. The pair did their best to trouble the outstanding Chinese duo Lian Junjie and Yang Hao, who had won three world championships in succession but in reality they were playing for second.
They were brilliant and held off the Canadian team to clinch silver, previously the only colour of medal Daley had not won. Completing the set and landing yet another medal was an incredible achievement and for Daley, to do it in front of his partner and two sons made it all the more magical.